


Acceptance

by lala113



Series: Disabled Little [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Accidents, Cerebral Palsy, Cribs, Cuddling, Diapers, Disability, Gen, Hate Crimes Against A Disabled Person, Infantilism, Involluntary Regression, Lisa tries to help, Mental Regression, Nightmares, Passed Physical Abuse, Scared; Lisa, School, Sick; Timmy, Touch Starved Lisa, Trust Issues, Wetting, bottles, hurt comfort, messing, passed emotional abuse, personal care, speech difficulties, stuffed animals, thunder storms, touch starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:34:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lala113/pseuds/lala113
Summary: In the process of being rewritten. When a young, abused teenager ends up in the hospital because of her injuries, a young speech therapy intern named Zachary Babinski is sent to work with her. When he does, he gets more than he bargained for. He also soon realizes that her abuse is much more than he originally thought. Will Zachary be able to save her from mentally snapping? Or will he have to use other means in order to help her? Find out in this journey of love, compassion, and kindness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry guys; I had to take this down and redo it because something got messed up, but here it is, once again. Enjoy!

Acceptance:

Chapter 1:

The day Zachary Babinsky accepted that his life was pretty weird was an unusual, but wonderful realization. It all started when he was 22, a senior in college, and when he first met his 19-year-old best friend, Lisa. Lisa, who had Cerebral Palsy, was a very sweet girl who sometimes took people by surprise, including Zachary, and this is his story of how he met her. Yes, Lisa changed his life completely, but it was for the better.

Before he met her, Zach was kind of a wild person, going to parties and not knowing when to say no to girls, even when it was for his own good. What did anyone expect? he was a dumb college kid back then and Zach was in with the wrong crowd. But when he met Lisa, that all changed. He grew up a lot. Zach knew he needed to, and in a way, Lisa helped him to do just that.

He was never going to forget just how much his heart melted the day he met her. It was Zach’s first day of class; a sociology class, to be exact. He hadn’t planned on passing his classes that semester because the professors hated him anyway. No matter how hard he tried, Zach always seemed like he was in their bad books, which, he wasn’t sure why. Maybe the partying had something to do with it, but Zach always tried to do the assignments they gave him.

Since it was the first day of class, Zach tried very hard to pay attention, but it was stifling hot in the lecture hall and he had to pinch himself a couple of times in order to keep himself awake. But as it happened, Zach made one tiny mistake by placing his head down on his desk because the professor raised his voice.

“Zachary Babinsky!” Pay attention!”

Apparently though, Zach was not the only person who jumped when he shouted, because, a female student who was sitting to the left of Zach, burst into sudden tears. When he looked at her, Zach knew somehow that she was greatly affected and didn’t want to be. Zach knew, somehow, that she was terrified, like she was a little kid. Zach wanted to help her, but he didn’t know what to do for her just yet. his heart went out to this girl and Zach felt strangely protective of her even though he did not know her.

The student, whom Zach didn’t know was Lisa at the time, was 18 or 19, but she did not look it. She was much shorter than anyone here and her face looked very young as though she was 10 or under. The fact that she was very sensitive and jumpy didn’t help her situation either. However, as he got a closer look at her, Zach noticed that her hands and feet were somewhat curled and she had a hard time with the commotion around her. Zach knew somehow that whoever this person was had a bad neurological system, which was probably why she had started to cry in the first place. She also looked very tired; drained of energy from her classes and being up very early in the morning. And to Zach’s surprise, she actually spoke to him. “Don’t stare at me, please. I get enough of that in the dorms. Nobody seems to understand when I ask them to stop.”

Zach quickly looked away and quietly apologized. But to his surprise, she spoke to him once more.

“But you’re different,” she whispered. “I can trust you.”

Zach’s eyebrows rose up in surprise. “Me?” Zach thought to himself. “She trusts me? Party boy? College senior who gets himself slammed and wasted almost every night? Why does this little, and I mean little, person trust me?” But, Zach decided to give it a go. Besides, he had all of these strange, protective instincts toward this person, and he didn’t know why, so he thought he had better find out for himself.

After class was over, Zach realized that it was lunch time and he was starving. Also, the female student looked pretty lost and confused as everyone was leaving, so he offered to stay with her. “Hi,” Zach said a little awkwardly. “I apologize for staring at you earlier. I was just concerned because you looked frightened and I was trying to figure out the best way to help you. My name is Zach. What’s your name?”

At first, Zach wasn’t sure if she was going to answer him, but eventually, she spoke. And when Zach listened more closely, he realized something he hadn’t before. Her speech was rather halting and slow, but he eventually understood. “My name, is, Lisa,” she said slowly. “I have, cerebral palsy. I, have, a hard, time, speaking, especially, when, I’m, tired, and hungry.”

Zach smiled, and it was a genuine smile. He didn’t know why, but Zach felt he had to protect this girl. If she had a disability and it made it difficult for her to speak properly, then, Zach was going to do everything he could to help her. She needed to know that he wasn’t going to allow anyone to take advantage of her. It seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Lisa,” Zach told her sincerely. “It is lunch time now, so, if you like, I can take you to the cafeteria. We can get something to eat and if you need help, I’d be glad to do that.”

After that, Zach finally realized that going to parties and drinking was not important anymore. That first day of class had changed him forever. And as he learned more and more about his friend Lisa, the more Zach grew up. The more he helped her, Zach realized that certain things were just too hard for her, meaning, living in the dorms.

As a senior, Zach did not have to live in the dorms, but he found himself visiting frequently because he felt a certain responsibility toward Lisa and something told him that nobody else was willing to understand and help her out. As independent as Lisa seemed, Zach could tell that she was thin and pale because either she wasn’t getting enough to eat, or she wasn’t able to feed herself. Zach’s guess was that she wasn’t able to physically feed herself, because sometimes when he saw her, there were pieces of carrot and potato in her hair and sometimes on her clothing. Why nobody sought to give her a personal attendant, Zach had no idea. But now, it didn’t matter anyway. A month into the school year, Zach spoke with the hall director and the RA on duty to let them know that Lisa was going to live with him from now on. Zach was fed up with the lack of care she was given even when she clearly needed it. Nobody helped her, which made him angry. Zach ditched his drinking buddies every night just so he could stay with Lisa in their little house that was just outside of town.

She was not a needy person by any means, but Zach was starting to recognize that Lisa seemed much younger at times and he didn’t know where it was coming from. Yes, part of it was because of her physical disability, but that didn’t explain why she seemed frightened, no, terrified of thunderstorms. It also didn’t explain why she sometimes seemed to not know where she was, which was why, he was rushing home now from the movies.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more background and explanation.

Chapter 2:

Originally, Zachary did not want to leave Lisa at home by herself, but she insisted on staying home that night, even though she knew that a big storm was coming soon. The main reason Zachary didn’t want to leave her though, was because he knew and understood that she absolutely hated them. However, he gave up trying to convince Lisa to go with him to the movies when he saw the tired look in her eyes. It was then he realized that school took a lot out of her and he couldn’t blame her for needing some alone time.

Zachary gave in, only because he knew that their next-door neighbor, Linda, was very good at checking on Lisa when asked to do so. Now, Zach did not ask her to do this very often as he also understood that Lisa wanted very much to stay as independent as she could. He knew that it was difficult for her to have someone checking up on her, but Zachary also knew that it was for Lisa’s own safety. Because there were times when she had fallen out of her own bed, simply because she hadn’t been aware just how close to the edge she really was. This, of course, startled Lisa very much, so even when Zachary was not home, he made sure that someone was around the neighborhood who could help.

Before he left though, Zachary got Lisa set up on the couch so that she could be comfortable while she watched her own movies. “Now, Lisa, I am only going to be gone for a couple of hours at most. If you need anything, just call Linda next-door. Don’t be alarmed if she comes over to check on things. Remember? I gave her an extra key just in case there were any problems. Do you need anything else before I leave?”

“My, soda,” Lisa answered. “If, you can, put it in, a cup, and my straw?”

Zach smiled. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot to do that. Hang on.” Zachary disappeared into the kitchen, but within minutes, he was back at Lisa’s side, handing her the special cup that was designed for her. It was very sturdy, but not breakable, and it was rubberized to make it easier for Lisa to hold onto, as her hands and fingers slipped off of things very easily. And straws made it easier for Lisa to sip liquid without choking. “There you go, Ma’am,” Zachary said gently. “You have fun and get some rest if you need to. I know we have a lot of homework to do, but we can do that when I get back.”

“You, have, fun, as well,” Lisa told him. “I’ll, be here.”

But as soon as the 22-year-old left the house, Lisa immediately started to feel uneasy. What in the world was she thinking? She knew it was important to prove to Zachary that she could handle herself at times, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to. Her past history had not been pleasant. As a child, Lisa was forced by her mother and father to grow up at a very young age. They forced her to potty train even when her muscle control was very limited, and so was her speech. That was the reason why she kept having accident after accident. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to use the toilet; it was that her muscles did not allow her to feel when she needed to go. This caused her to be highly embarrassed in many situations, but no one believed her when she told them she just couldn’t control it. No one that is, except for Zach.

A few weeks into the school year, when Zachary went to the dorm to visit Lisa before she moved in with him permanently, he noticed that there was a strong smell of urine, but he didn’t want to embarrass Lisa by asking her about it. He was concerned of course, but he respected her and her privacy, but to his surprise, it was Lisa who brought it up. She must’ve had a bad day, because she normally didn’t talk about what was really bothering her unless it was really serious. It was difficult for her, but Zach got the gist of what she was trying to say.

“So, you are telling me that your own parents forced you to be potty trained when you knew you weren’t able to? And you are also telling me that people used to make fun of you because of your speech difficulties and lack of motor skills? Lisa, that is not your fault. If anyone is wrong here, it is your family. They may have wanted you to educate people, but this is different. There is no reason for you to embarrass yourself like this. If you can’t control it, and you can barely handle your own clothes as of right now, they should’ve never done that to you. When you move in with me, I am going to get you some help. No one should have to go through what you went through. Some things are just too hard for you, Lisa, and it’s hard seeing you struggling like this.”

That very next week, Zachary kept his word. He got an RA to help him move Lisa’s things out of her dorm room and she was now living with Zachary and had been the past couple of months. Since then, he kept other promises as well. He did not tell Lisa this, but he discreetly got her measurements and bought her a few packages of both cloth and disposable diapers. Considering the number of accidents Lisa has had in her lifetime, Zach making sure that she had some protection was the least he could do for her right now. No, he was not going to force her to wear onesies or use bottles and pacifiers. The reason for that was simple.

Zachary still wanted Lisa to feel like an adult while recognizing that she still had special needs. He wanted her to feel like she had dignity, but he also wanted her to eventually recognize, for herself, that it was perfectly okay to ask for help, especially when she needed it. He also recognized that bottles and pacifiers would be dangerous for Lisa as her muscle control was very unreliable and she was prone to choking on certain things. However, he felt that the diapers were a necessity for her, not only because she couldn’t control when she needed to go, but he recognized that Lisa somehow felt safer and more relaxed. Plus, it saved him from having to disinfect the couch every day. On occasion, when she leaked, he had to, but that was minor compared to washing her clothes every other day just to get the smell of urine off of them.

Also, as time went on, Zachary made an appointment with a local doctor in order to set up some speech therapy for Lisa. This was mainly because she was having trouble swallowing because of her cerebral palsy and he thought that a speech therapist might be of some help. It was also because she was sometimes very difficult to understand and she drooled without meaning to. But that was a few weeks ago, and he was now on his way to see a movie. However, it didn’t mean that he didn’t worry about Lisa at all. On the contrary, he was almost worried sick about her because of the storm that was coming. In fact, he almost changed his mind, but he reminded himself that his ticket was bought, so he was going to enjoy his movie. Later on though, it was a very different story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm hits and Lisa regresses for the first time.

Chapter 3:

As the evening wore on, the promised storm drew nearer and nearer. The wind rattled the windows of the small house and Lisa got more and more nervous as the clowds grew darker and rain began to fall.

However, she still felt she had to prove herself, so Lisa decided to try and ly down, as she was also tired. She didn’t want to call the next door neighbor and bother her when she was eating dinner with her family.

Although Linda was a very nice lady, Lisa didn’t really know her, which made her even more nervous. Thinking of that made Lisa think of her difficult childhood and what really happened to her. Before she even realized what was happening, Lisa found herself, once again, trapped in a living nightmare.

Flashback: “Aaaahhhhh! Aaaaaahhhhh! Aaaaahhhhh!” Five-year-old Lisa was very upset. She still had no verbal skills, which made it even more difficult. She was banging her spoon on the table, but her parents didn’t like that and glared at her.

“Stop screaming, you little Shit, and speak like a normal person!” Lisa’s mother screamed at her daughter. “Grow up and act like a normal human being! It’s bad enough we still have to do everything for you!” But what Lisa’s mother and father did not know, was that, all though five years old, Lisa was very smart in other ways and understood everything they said about her.

Tears came into Lisa’s eyes and she screamed even louder than ever. “Aaaaahhhhh! Aaaaahhhhh! Aaaaahhhhh!”

A key turned in the front door as the nineteen-year-old relived her abuse, so she wasn’t even aware that anyone was with her and kept screaming.

“Aaaaahhhhh!”

“Lisa,” a female voice said. “Lisa.”

“Aaaaahhhhh!”

“Lisa, hey, lisa.”

More screaming.

“Lisa, Sweetheart, it’s Linda. Yours and Zach’s next door neighbor. He asked me to check on you. Are you all right? Do you want me to call someone for you?” But after Linda asked that question, she glanced at the fridge, which had a note pinned to it.

In case of any problems, please call Zachary Babinsky at the following phone number. After reading the note and the number over carefully, Linda did just that.

Meanwhile, across town, Zach was just getting ready to leave the theater when his phone vibrated in his pocket. At first, he thought it was his stupid friends drunk-dialing him again; they really needed to stop doing that. But, when he saw his own landline, he knew who it was. “Linda, tell Lisa I’m coming home right now. Is she all right?”

Linda sighed heavily. “No, Zach, she’s not,” she told him gently. “I came in to check on the house and found her screaming her head off. She won’t or can’t talk to me and she doesn’t seem to know where she is.”

That last bit got Zach’s attention. “Uh-oh,” he thought. But out loud he said, “Stay at the house until I get there. Lisa can not be alone right now. Is that clear?”

“Yes, but what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain when I get home,” Zach answered. “Just stay with her until I get there!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zachary comes home and finds that he is not at all shocked by Lisa's behavior as his neighbor is. In fact, he realizes what he must do to help Lisa recover.

Chapter 4:

Back at the house, Lisa was still lying on the couch, stiff as a board. She had finally stopped screaming, but she was still very scared. Lisa knew that Linda was still in the house with her, but she felt much too shy to try and speak to her. Also, Lisa was very tired and was afraid to go back to sleep. She was terrified that she’d have that nightmare again; the one with her abuse.

She was just lying there, probably soaked, but didn’t know it or feel it, but she could smell it. Lisa hadn’t meant to, but because of her Cerebral Palsy affecting her muscles the way it did, her bladder and bowel control was not always the best, which was why Zach got her the diapers. He wanted Lisa to not have to worry so much about having accidents and it was far easier to change a diaper than it was to make her use a catheter.

In Zach’s opinion, catheters, all though very useful for some people, did not work for others. Catheters also made people get infections more easily, which was another reason Zach did not make Lisa use them. With her limited mobility, Zach knew and understood that Lisa could develop pneumonia and other illnesses much quicker than he or anyone else because her immune system was not very strong and he didn’t want to put her through that.

As for Zach, he was just parking his car in the garage and coming up the front steps when his next-door neighbor came out to meet him. She looked a little sad as she said, “Come with me, Zach, you need to see your friend.”

Confused, Zach followed Linda into his and Lisa’s living room to find the teen trembling uncontrollably on the couch; tears were flowing like a river down her face, along with some drool, which Zach wiped up with a handcurchif.

As he knelt beside Lisa, wiping up her tears, snott and drool, Zach had a sudden, yet wonderful realization. He realized, that all though only twenty-two years old, he was karing for Lisa like a parent would care for an infant or toddler. Yes, Zach also realized that Lisa was nineteen, an adult, but her physical and speech abilities told him otherwise. He also, for a little while now, suspected that Lisa often regressed in her mind when things were too difficult, and he thought that this was one of those times because she looked blank and confused. Turnning to Linda, Zach asked calmly, “Linda, how long has Lisa been crying like this? I need to know because it could be dangerous for her. I don’t want her to choke.”

“Well, I came in to check on the house like you asked me to do and I heard her screaming. I didn’t really know what it was about, but she looked and sounded very scared. I also noticed Lisa was wet. I know about her CP, so don’t worry. Anyway, I tried to change her but she wouldn’t let me. She kept flinching away and curling up every time I tried. Zach, was… Was Lisa ever abused? I ask because she… she just seems so… So lost.”

Zach paled when Linda asked him that question. Sure, he knew Lisa hadn’t been treated fairly, but never once had he connected the dots. But that would explain the frequent bouts of confusion and nightmares she had. It also explained why she felt she had to do everything herself even when she couldn’t. Lisa’s parents, in Zach’s opinion, did not seem to love Lisa for who she was, but expected her to act the way society wanted her to act, and for Lisa, acting socially normal was not possible. By expecting Lisa to act in a way that was not natural for her, her parents had doomed Lisa to a very difficult life in deed. So, upon arriving at that conclusion, Zach was forced to realize the truth. Lisa had in deed been abused; mentally, emotionally and even socially. But Zach was determined to fix the damage, even if it meant taking extreme measures to do so. He decided he would think about some of those later. For now, Zach was more worried about Lisa’s state of mind and he answered Linda’s question. “The truth?” he said, “Yes, I’m afraid that she has. I’m thinking about how to help her more affectively, but for now, all I can do is to care for her the best I can and hope that what I am doing is right.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First actual diaper change and Lisa is scared. What will Zach do next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really love to hear what people have to say. Tell me if you like it or not.

Chapter 5:

For the next few days and more, that is exactly what Zach did. He understood that it was sometimes hard for Lisa to get used to him caring for her, so Zach did his best to be gentle with her and he never expected Lisa to submit to him or call him Daddy because he knew, somehow, that she became frightened and mistrusting and he didn’t want Lisa to feel that way. Zach wanted very much for his friend and study partinner to feel safe, happy and loved.

So, for the next few days and weeks, Zach was very busy. A few times he asked Linda to watch the house while he went out, but nothing major happened. But always, when he came home, Zach had a surprise for Lisa. She told him at the beginning of the school year that she loved stuffed animals because she liked the way they looked and how they felt soft on her fingers. All though Lisa was accumulating more and more, her two favorite stuffed animals were a tiger and a fox. Mr. Tiger and Mr. Fox were extra special to Lisa because Zach got them for her the day he took her out of the dorm and he thought they would help her sleep better. When he saw Lisa’s eyes light up, Zach knew he made the right choice. Not just with buying the stuffed toys, but by helping someone who really needed it, and it made Zach happy whenever Lisa was. Very often, it was the smallest moments that meant so much, and doing something as simple as buying Lisa a furry friend or two to help her feel more at home, was enough to make Zach smile. If he could make a fellow human being feel better, then, he could also pass his classes.

But right now, homework and classes were the least of Zach’s problems.

A few days after his small shopping spree, Lisa caught a bad cold. She wanted to go to class, but Zach told her no. “Sorry Honey, but you have a temperature and I really want you to rest,” he told her gently. “I told our professors I’d be here with you today. Let’s study a bit and then we can rest.”

“Don’t, wana, don’t wana!” Lisa suddenly began to cry, and one look into her brown eyes made Zach realize what was wrong.

“Oh, Lisa,” he thought. “Not again.” But Zach knew he had to do it. “Okay, come on. Up you go.” Zach helped Lisa to her feet and took her hand so she wouldn’t crash to the floor. Very slowly, he helped Lisa walk to her room, where Zach spread out a thick mat on the teen’s bed. Zach saw that she looked scared, so he was quick to explain. “Lisa, it’s all right; you just made a mess and need a new diaper. I promise I’ll be quick. I know how much you hate this and that it’s hard for you, but you don’t need to be scared. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Gently easing Lisa down on her bed, Zach took care only to focus on making her feel better and not violated. So, as Zach worked on cleaning her up, Lisa held onto Mr. Tiger and shut her eyes. She hated feeling so helpless, but she knew she had no choice, so she let him change her. Also, it didn’t help that Lisa had mentally regressed to a one-year-old and could only make cooing sounds for now. Plus, she really didn’t feel well anyway, so it didn’t matter.

However, it did matter to Zach. He had been very concerned about Lisa’s language skills for quite some time now. All though he understood that Lisa’s speech problems were due to her Cerebral Palsy and she couldn’t help that, Zach still felt worried. He was worried because the teen’s language skills were that of a very young child and Lisa didn’t seem to come out of that state. Zach made a mental note to speak to the speech therapist about the issue the next time Lisa had her therapy. Zach was also concerned because at school she was fine, except that she had a hard time speaking. But whenever Lisa was scared or sick like she was now, she seemed not to be aware of anything and didn’t or couldn’t communicate. Taping a clean diaper on the disabled teen, Zach helped her up and hugged her. “Don’t you worry, Lisa,” he told her gently. “I am going to do everything I can to help you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesa's really sick and doesn't know where she is. some hugging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait; I got stuck with this chapter. If anyone has any ideas feel free to let me know. Enjoy!

Chapter 6:

Lisa was like this; fretful and clingy for the next three days. Part of it was that she was sick and needed to be cared for, but in a way, it worried Zachary greatly. He knew she had been abused as a child, but what he did not know, was the extent of just how deep her trauma went. At least, not until later that night.

It was around midnight when the young man was awakened by an awful, heart wrenching, choking screaming. Without a second’s thought, Zachary jumped out of bed and raced over to Lisa’s bedroom. He knew, somehow, that it was she who was screaming like that. “Don’t worry, my friend,” the young man thought to himself. “I will do my best to fix whatever is bothering you.”

Meanwhile, Lisa, in her frightened state, was frozen and stiff. Her muscles hurt like the devil, but she couldn’t feel them, so she didn’t know.

Lisa was back in her childhood home and being yelled at as usual. She did not understand that it was only a dream, so when she felt someone shaking her, she automatically lashed out with her foot and unknowingly caught whoever it was in the jaw, hard.

Zach drew back in surprise as he clutched at his jaw. Whatever her dream was about, it was worse than he had originally thought. “Note to self,” Zach thought to himself. “Do not touch Lisa when trapped in a nightmare.” However, Zach didn’t know what else to do. He felt terrible; as he watched her go through that. Eventually, after icing his jaw, Zachary went back to her room and did nothing but talk to her.

“Lisa, it’s all right. You are not with anyone else but me. No one is here to hurt you. Lisa, Lisa…” Zach wasn’t sure if he was only seeing things or not, but he thought he saw, out of the corner of his eye, the disabled teenager calming down slightly. She wasn’t flailing so much, but she still looked rather stiff, which was to be expected. He had known for a while that cerebral palsy was not an easy condition for anyone; especially not Lisa. It was made worse by the fact that she had nightmares, and active ones at that. So, the stiff muscles were normal for her, especially after having one.

Also, as Lisa was still sick, it made everything that much worse and harder for both of them. However, Zach could tell that Lisa was very uncomfortable as well, so he went into the kitchen to find her special medicine dropper. The flu was nothing to mess around with, and for someone like Lisa, it was twice as hard to get over it. He hadn’t given her the Tamiflu at dinner that night, so he thought it might help her now. Zach just had to be careful of how he gave it to her because he didn’t want to be kicked in the mouth again. Seeing that Lisa was practically on the edge of her mattress, Zach very carefully repositioned her so that she was in the middle of her bed again. He also found some extra pillows to prop her head up. This was going to make it easier for him to spoon the liquid medicine into Lisa’s mouth as he knew and understood that she could not feed herself.

As this was going on, Lisa had very strange, lifelike dreams. She was fast asleep, and yet, she could see the college senior very clearly in her mind. However, she was unaware that it was really happening to her. She was also having a rather strange dream of being lifted in the air, but again, Lisa was unaware that Zachary was actually supporting her neck and head with one hand as he gave her the medicine. Scared as she was, Lisa did not lash out again, partially because she felt bad for hurting him like that and the other reason was because the Tamiflu was making her very sleepy and she didn’t have any energy left to fight back.

“Oh Lisa,” Zachary thought to himself. Seeing the sad look on his friend’s face, the young man spoke gently. “I know that you didn’t mean to kick me. As painful as it was, I should have spoken to you first. I should have warned you that I was with you and I should have told you not to be afraid, but I didn’t, and for that, I am sorry. Your nightmares are horrible; aren’t they? Don’t you worry kiddo; I am going to get you some help for those.” But then, Zachary got a goofy look on his face when he spotted the stuffed tiger lying at the bottom of Lisa’s bed. Picking it up, he waved it around in a dramatic fashion, but was very careful not to tie him up, as the stuffed animal was very flexible, and tended to get tangled up very easily in a big knot. However, Zachary knew he made the right choice by pretending to be Mr. Tiger, because although Lisa was very much asleep, his goofy Tiger voice always made her smile, no matter what. And to Zachary’s surprise, Lisa’s arms actually attempted to reach out toward him and the stuffed toy.

Even though Lisa was asleep, Zachary didn’t care. Something about her innocent, vulnerable looking face made him reach down and reciprocate her need to be hugged. As he did so, Zachary gently tickled her nose with the stuffed tiger before he placed the tiger beside her in her bed.

Feeling a bit goofy from the antiviral drug and because she was mostly asleep, but safe, Lisa involuntarily drooled. However, Zachary was quite use to this by now, so he was quick to wipe her face with his handkerchief before releasing her from his hug and getting her settled back down.

By the next morning, almost everything about that night was a blur, except for the throbbing pain in his jaw and the memory of Lisa’s wild, fearful face before she kicked him. Zachary’s heart shattered at that memory. He knew and understood that she hadn’t meant to do it, but that’s what bothered him. Well, maybe not so much her kicking him, but, “it was like Lisa didn’t recognize me or where she was!” The young man realized. “I definitely have to get her some help, especially because she is unable to get at herself.” Since today was Saturday, Zachary thought he would let Lisa sleep in a bit, especially because her fever still hadn’t dropped and she was extremely tired from it.

So, Zachary set to work. He had his morning coffee along with an egg and toast and then he set to work cleaning the house as well as doing his and Lisa’s laundry. Zachary did this because he knew and understood that Lisa did not have the physical capabilities or the mental capacity to run a household or pay bills on her own. For this reason, Zachary often wondered why Lisa hadn’t been put under guardianship, but that problem would have to wait for another time. Right now, he had a house to clean, a sick roommate to tend to, and a bunch of trash that needed to be taken outside. It was often a tough job, but Zachary, even though he was only 22 years old, was happy to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

The entire weekend was extremely long for both Lisa and Zachary. For Lisa, because her bad cold really took a lot out of her and Zachary because as much as he cared about and for Lisa, it was very difficult for him to watch her go through that. Half the time, he didn’t even know what he was doing. But most of it was instinct.

Before going to college, Zachary lived at home in Nebraska, helping his parents with his younger brothers and sisters until they were old enough to care for themselves. But that probably explained why when he was in college for the first three years, he was kind of a party boy. His parents had depended on him at such a young age, that sometimes he thought he would snap, but he did not. It was true that he did not handle pressure very well back then, but then again, he was only 16 and what 16-year-old wanted to be responsible for someone other than themselves? But, Zachary was now 22 and caring for a disabled roommate; but not because he was forced to do so. Compared to his bratty, ungrateful, snobby younger siblings, Lisa was a breath of fresh air, which is why he never complained or got mad whenever she got sick or drooled uncontrollably.

“Yes,” Zachary thought. “Lisa’s a sweetheart compared to some people I have known.” As sweet as she was though, Zachary knew and understood just how accident-prone she really was because he had seen it more than enough times to realize that she wasn’t doing certain things simply just to annoy him. He knew that she simply couldn’t control it, so Zachary tried to help Lisa through her hard times as much as he was able. It didn’t mean it was always easy, but Zachary felt that Lisa desperately needed a time and a safe place where she could just be herself and not be frightened all the time. It was during those times when Zachary found his friend lying in the middle of the floor in the living room with a blank expression and her eyes unfocused.

In fact, this happened on Sunday afternoon, shortly after Zachary and Lisa finished their homework and studying for the weekend. Lisa’s fever finally left her as well, but she was so disoriented and confused that it took her a while to get back to being herself. So, here she was, on Sunday afternoon, lying in the middle of the living room floor, clutching the Fox as though her life depended on it and was chewing gently on the stuffed animal’s ears. Lisa seemed to melt away into herself and was not aware that Zachary was even watching her, but he was watching her the entire time. He saw when her eyes became unfocused and when her expression became closed off and blank. However, he wasn’t sure if this was normal behavior or not, so he observed for a little while longer, only to see the ears of the stuffed animal darken with moisture as the disabled teenager gently chewed on him as though she was a little less than six months old. However, Zachary did not know that when he knelt down beside Lisa, to get a better look at her, she flinched away from him as though she was frightened and her tears came fast and furious.

Zachary was shocked. He knew Lisa had issues, but right now, she was acting as though she did not know him at all. This of course frightened Zachary because he hadn’t known anyone else who mentally regressed like she did. He thought about calling Linda, the next door neighbor, but, “Would she really understand?” Zachary thought to himself. “This is something much more than her physical disability and I need to know how to help her in a way that won’t scare her more than she already is.”

After a moment’s indecision, Zachary decided to do something that had always worked with his youngest sibling when they were a baby. He went around the house in search of every blanket he could find for this particular task. Zachary knew somehow that Lisa was not having a good day, so he felt that this was the least he could do for her.

As soon as he had all of them, Zachary very carefully knelt down beside his friend, and was also careful not to look directly into her eyes just yet. Very slowly and carefully, Zachary swaddled his friend. He hoped that the tight feeling and deep pressure of the swaddle would calm Lisa enough to allow Zachary to pick her up. He knew somehow that she had regressed so far into her babyhood that she needed to be held, and that was what he was going to do. However, Zachary did not want to frighten her, which was why he was wrapping her up like this.

Chewing on the Fox, Lisa was unaware that her friend and caretaker was doing such a thing, so she continued her babyish habit and before long, she was nice and snug in a blanket cocoon, which made her feel safe in a way she couldn’t explain. However, Lisa was still trapped within her infantile mind, so she just continued what she was doing without being aware of it. And not only was she in a blanket cocoon, Lisa was up in the air, or that’s what she thought.

“Come on, kiddo,” Zachary said gently. “It’s okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you… Zach’s got you.”

The adult part of Lisa’s brain was confused. Was he actually holding her? Was he really that strong? But the infantile part of her brain, the part that craved this kind of attention, was in high spirits. Lisa knew that she never really had a childhood and desperately needed one, but the other part of her brain kicked in at the last moment, but not this time. This time, after being sick for over a week, Lisa’s defenses were low, so she reluctantly allowed her best friend to hold her and cradle her the way she longed to be held. “Oh, Lisa, you are my little accident-prone baby, aren’t you?” Zachary hadn’t meant to say that, but when the words slipped off of his tongue they just felt natural, like he had been doing this all his life. Also, when he gently rocked her back and forth, he noticed that Lisa’s body began to relax and her eyes started to droop

“Someone’s getting sleepy,” he gently teased. “I saw you yawn; yes, yes I did.” Then, without thinking, Zachary gently tweaked the 19-year-old’s nose and gently wiped the excess drool from her cheeks so that they wouldn’t become chapped and be uncomfortable for her. And later that night, when she was asleep, Zachary grabbed his laptop and typed in a few keywords. He was shocked at just how many results he found, but he was determined to help his friend the best way possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zachary searches on the internet and speaks to Lisa about it. When speaking with her, Zach is shocked to find out the truth about how Lisa was treated by the college student body when he sees what they have written on her wrist. May trigger flashbacks for some people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the coodis, comments and follows. This chapter may be hard to read, but it's important to the story and why she really acts this way. Also, some important conversations take place and they determine just how young Lisa acts when scared, sick or hurt. I'd love to here your thoughts and Ideas.

Chapter 8:

Zachary was confused. What on earth was he reading? Adults didn’t really act like babies just for fun, did they? Or, did they? The more articles and stories Zachary read, the more they confused him. But at the same time, he had to admit that some of his friend’s behaviors actually made more sense to him. He also knew that she was not doing it on purpose or to annoy him. Some of the articles and stories Zachary was reading nearly made him sick because they were so inappropriate and he knew, somehow, that Lisa was not looking for that kind of attention.

Her issues were physical, medical, and a coping mechanism for the trauma she suffered and was still dealing with. A million questions and thoughts raced through Zachary’s mind about whether or not he should indulge and allow Lisa to act like this, but in the end, his compassion for her made the decision for him. “Society might not like it,” Zachary thought to himself. “But society doesn’t understand just how truly difficult her life has been. So, Lisa has a few extra intimate needs, big deal. So what if she needs to be an infant every once in a while? Who cares? If she truly needs that, then, so be it.” With his mind made up, Zachary went into the teenager’s bedroom to talk to her. Although he recognized her needs, Zachary also wanted Lisa to know that her opinion mattered and that he wasn’t going to do anything without her permission or consent.

When he sat down on her bed, Zachary was relieved to see that the blank and confused expression was absent from her eyes. This meant that Lisa was back in her adult mind again and she would be able to understand what he wanted to talk to her about.

“Lisa, can I talk to you for a minute?” Zachary asked gently.

With great effort, Lisa nodded her head to let him know that she was listening.

“Lisa, this is going to be difficult, and I know that certain things are embarrassing for you, so I will try my very best to minimize the discomfort. However, I do need to confirm a few things with you. Can you do that?”

Lisa nodded her head once more and Zachary continued.

“Lisa, what do you remember of earlier today?”

Lisa looked confused for a moment, but then the day’s events flashed into her mind and she answered. “Not… Not… Much. I thought… I was… Somewhere… Else. But… I wasn’t I felt… So… So… Young. You… Were holding… Me; I think. I can’t… Remember.”

“And do you remember what you were doing?” Zachary asked gently.

“No, I don’t,”

It was then that Zachary gently explained to his friend what he experienced that day. “Your eyes were unfocused and your expression was blank,” he told her gently. “You were drooling like mad and clutching the Fox as though your life depended on it. You were also chewing on him the way an infant does when they are upset or sleepy. You wouldn’t or couldn’t talk to me because you were so far away. However, when I swaddled you in order to pick you up, you looked, different. You were a little confused, but ultimately, you let me hold you because I think, deep down, it is something you’ve always needed.”

Then Zachary showed Lisa some of the various articles he had read earlier. Lisa was confused, but Zachary was quick to explain.

“Lisa, I just need to confirm. Do any of these descriptions fit the bill for you? It says, mental regression is very commonly associated with traumatic events, especially when such events take place during childhood. Although some people use mental regression as a form of play or submission, it is not the case for everyone. A few forms of mental regression are; acting younger than the current age and or doing things in a way a younger person might. This includes, but is not limited to the following. A complete state of confusion, having a certain dependence on stuffed animals or other toys, chewing on them, etc. I know some of this doesn’t apply because you also have a physical disability as well. But, does some of this sound familiar to you?” Lisa was still confused, so Zachary continued. “Lisa, when you regress, how far back do you go? I need to know, because it is for your own safety. I don’t want this to happen to you in the middle of the night or something and have you fall on the floor and crack your head open.”

It took a while, but Lisa finally put two and two together and understood what her friend was asking her. However, she didn’t really know how far back she went in her mind because that part was very complicated, but if she had to guess, she would roughly put herself between newborn and one-year-old. As she was unable to fully communicate the estimate verbally, Lisa did the next best thing she could think of. She had a laminated sheet of big, block letters and numbers on her desk and she pointed at it.

Zachary correctly assumed that Lisa wanted him to bring it to her, so he did. When Lisa had it in her hand, she used the pointer of her other hand to point to the space between zero and one. When Zachary saw that, his expression changed to understanding and comprehension. “Oh! So, when it happens, do you have any control over it?” Lisa shook her head in answer to his question. With that realization in mind, Zachary became even more gentle in his words as he explained to Lisa what he was planning to do. “Okay. Now that I know just how young you regress, and that it is not voluntary, I am going to do a few things that I hope will help you. Are you okay with that? I will not do anything without your permission and I will not do anything to harm you. I know that you have almost fallen out of your own bed a few times and we can do two things to help that. The first thing we can do is that if you regress, you can use a crib and a changing table, which I will keep in my room. The second is that when you are in your adult mind, I can have bars put on the side of your bed to keep you from falling out.”

Lisa’s eyes filled with tears, but she was both happy and sad. Happy, because Zachary was thoughtful enough to explain to her what was going to happen, but sad because she was afraid she would lose her freedom to choose for herself.

Correctly interpreting his friend’s thought process, Zachary gently explained further. “Lisa, don’t worry. I will never take your adult rights away from you. I may only be your friend, but I want what’s best for you because I care about you. And whenever you are regressed, that is when I will handle things for you that you normally would be able to. I don’t expect anything from you other than to be yourself. Okay? As for the crib and changing table being in my room, it is so that I can keep an eye on you more easily. And if you are in the state you were this afternoon, I’d be able to help you more effectively. Also, nobody goes into my room except for me, so no one will see you; you will be more protected.”

“No one will… hurt… me?”

Seeing the fear and sadness in Lisa’s eyes and her earlier tears, Zachary bent to hug her. “No, Baby Girl; I won’t let that happen to you.” But then the reason for her question hit Zach like a thunder clap and a look of concern came over his face. Looking the teen straight in her eyes, Zach asked gently, “Lisa, Sweetheart, do you trust me? You can either nod or shake your head.” Lisa nodded. “Good. Now, I’m going to ask you a question, and I need an honest answer. Okay?” More nodding. “Has anyone in the dorm ever hurt you physically?” Lisa’s eyes watered as she struggled to stretch out her arms. “Are you trying to show me something?” Zach asked. But before Lisa could nod in reply, Zach gently grasped the teenager’s wrists to examine them, and what he found did not please him.

It was a scar that ran from Lisa’s wrist to her shoulder and it spelled out the words, freak, child. Go back to where you came from. Babies don’t belong in college.

Seeing Lisa’s tears made Zach even angrier. How could this student body be so mean? No, not mean; evil, toward anyone; especially someone like her? It wasn’t her falt for being and acting different. But when Zach spoke, his words were gentle. “I know it was hard for you, but thank you for being brave enough to trust me and to tell me the truth. I’m glad I took you out of the dorms when I did or things could’ve gotten worse. Don’t believe those words on your wrist; you’re smart in your own way.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach's old, crazy friends find him and Lisa regresses for the second time. The first time using her new crib, though. Zach calls the police on his old friends for bothering him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay but I wanted to time this correctly. Let me know if you have any questions.

Chapter 9:

As time went on, both Zachary and Lisa became more accustomed to one another as far as living under the same roof. Although it was still somewhat difficult for Lisa to accept help that was offered, she was slowly but surely realizing that it was help she needed, and on some deeper level, she understood that.

Also, if it hadn’t been for Zachary, Lisa would’ve still been stuck in the dorms, probably being harassed and teased and much worse by the other students simply for being disabled. The words that were carved into Lisa’s wrists left deep scars; physical, emotional, and psychological. Despite the fact that Lisa was now away from there, she still found it difficult to think of herself in a positive light.

It helped tremendously when Zach, very gently, explained everything to her about what he was going to do in order to help her. It also helped when he reminded her just how smart she really was. And every night before bed, he helped her put on some anti-scarring cream to help her painful scars fade faster. He knew that the cream stung a little, but it was nothing compared to what he saw a week ago.

In fact, it was exactly a week ago that Lisa told Zachary exactly what happened to her and why people hurt her. After doing so, Lisa felt relieved that she was finally able to get some of it off of her chest even if she wasn’t able to physically speak for very long. In turn, Zachary was equally glad that Lisa told him because he now understood who and what he was dealing with. It was highly illegal to harass and bully a disabled person simply because of their disabilities. Zach knew from some of his classes that what some of the students were doing was considered a hate crime and if anyone was caught, they could go to jail for a very long time.

But now, a week went by, and Zachary had bigger problems to worry about. He didn’t know how his old drinking buddies found out where he lived, but somehow they had, and they were pounding on the door, hard in order to get in. It was around 8:30, and even though he himself did not need to go to bed as early, he found that Lisa functioned best after getting help with her bedtime routine and herself, going to bed around 9 o’clock. This was because the nature of her cerebral palsy zapped a lot of energy from her and she truly needed a lot of sleep in order to replenish that energy.

As his buddies banged on the door, Zachary could sense that Lisa was becoming more and more uneasy and he could tell somehow, that she was fighting hard against her involuntary regression. He saw how stiff she was as he quickly but gently changed her messy diaper, brushed her tangled hair, which felt good against Lisa’s head as the young man brushed it, and rubbed in the anti-scarring cream on her thin wrists.

The doorbell rang constantly, and his old buddies continued to pound on it. However, not wishing to leave Lisa all alone, Zachary picked her up and carried her, something he normally didn’t do unless it was an emergency or Lisa herself was too frightened to walk by herself or with support. As he carried her, Zachary made hushing noises with his tongue in order to calm her down. “Lisa, it’s okay,” he told her gently. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

Whimpering like a newborn kitten, Lisa clung to her caretaker’s T-shirt as she tried desperately not to regress. She knew, somehow, that these other people were not nice and she didn’t want to get hurt by any of them.

“Zach, open up!” A gruff voice yelled from the other side of the door. “We want to have a party. Open up, now! We know you’re in there…”

Zachary was torn. He remembered what fun he had when he was a partier, but the stiff and frightened Lisa in his arms made the final decision for him. Instead of opening the door, like he would have had he not been caring for her, Zachary simply picked up the phone and called the police to file a disturbance report.

“Naples Police Department, how may I help you?” The dispatcher asked.

Zach cleared his throat and explained. “I don’t know how, but some people I have filed a restraining order against because I am caring for a disabled roommate have broken that restraining order. They are here pounding on my front door as we speak.” After being put on hold for a few minutes, Zachary was being transferred to a police officer, where he explained what was going on in more detail. “Thank you so much officer,” Zachary told him. “I have a disabled roommate and these guys really frighten her.”

“Quite understandable,” the officer replied. “You did the right thing by calling us.” After that, it wasn’t long before the sound of the police sirens were heard, making the skittish 19-year-old in Zachary’s arms bury her face in his T-shirt, and finally, losing the battle to her mental regression. Lisa could no longer speak; she could only babble and she was drooling like crazy, but Zachary understood why. He didn’t even question her; he just did the next best thing.

“Okay kiddo, come on,” he said gently. “I’m going to take you into my room tonight. You will be safer there.” And as he carried a babbling, drooling and upset Lisa upstairs, he purposefully walked past her bedroom and continued down the hall toward his own. It hurt Zach very much when he saw, once again, the blank and confused expression on his friend’s face, but it didn’t scare him as much now that he understood what it really meant. “All right, baby girl,” he told Lisa gently. “I didn’t want to do this to you so soon, but given your circumstances, I think you will be safest this way.”

Walking over to a very secrete side of the room that was furthest from the window, Zachary gently untangled his disabled friend’s arms from around his neck as he lowered the side of a dark brown, mahogany crib and helped Lisa get settled into it. After tucking some blankets around her and putting a pillow under her head, Zachary carefully raised the side of the crib and turned on a small nightlight next to it. “I told you nothing would happen to you, sweetie,” he whispered gently. “Nobody is going to hurt you.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zachary takes Lisa to Speech and he and Lisa tell the therapist everything. A little bit of cuteness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short but I needed to set it up for new characters to come in.

Chapter 10:

Even though it was a Wednesday, neither Zachary nor Lisa had any classes. That was nice though, because it meant that they could get some work done as well as keep track of Lisa’s medical appointments and things like that. It also sometimes meant that the two of them could sleep in, but not this time. This time, they were up bright and early because Lisa had speech today, and Zachary needed to talk to the therapist about some resources he needed.

More than that though, was the deep concern Zachary had for Lisa. He knew that a lot of the students didn’t necessarily like her, but seeing bruises and cuts as well as other disturbing things when driving her back to their modest house after class, was enough to make Zachary feel sick. He did his best to reduce the scars with the prescription cream he had, but Zachary had to admit that even that was getting beyond him. They both needed professional help, and he was going to get it for his and Lisa’s own good.

Also, after the scare with his old buddies on Monday night, and Lisa regressing for the third time and so young, Zachary had no choice but to use the crib. He felt terrible for doing that to his friend, but he only wanted her to be safe. Zachary also wasn’t sure when Lisa would come back to being herself, but he hoped it would be soon. As it was kind of a traumatic event, this regression took a little bit longer for Lisa to get out of.

But thankfully, on Wednesday morning, she was back to her old self, even if a little confused.

Zachary and Lisa were sitting quietly in the waiting room in the therapy department of the Naples local hospital waiting to be called in by the speech therapist. Although Lisa was legally an adult, Zachary had legal permission to be with her during her sessions because it was truly difficult for her to physically speak, especially when stressed.

Since it was kind of a long wait, the two college students were quietly doing their homework from the past couple of days. Although Lisa could see, she had a difficult time physically writing, so she asked Zachary to fill in the answers to the questions on her study guide for her English class. Zachary happily obliged as he completely understood just how tight her muscles got when she was concentrating on something.

Lisa, for her English class, was reading the great Gatsby and had to do a mini quiz at the end of each chapter, which was why she needed to fill out the study guide. The study guide was going to help her study before she took her final test and she wanted to get it right. So, as best she could, Lisa dictated her answers to Zachary and he wrote it down for her exactly as she said it. And since Zachary was pretty much the only one who understood what Lisa was saying, he interpreted what she said perfectly. It was long, tedious work, but by the time the speech therapist called Lisa and Zachary into the office, the study guide was finished and Zachary neatly folded it, placing it into Lisa’s woven bag.

The speech therapist, was a middle-aged smiling woman with her dark hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail. And when she sat down at her desk, she smiled warmly at the young adults across from her.”Ah, Mr. Babinski,” she said.

“Oh, no, please, Zachary is just fine,” Zachary insisted. “I am just a college student also, but I do take care of her,” Zachary added, giving Lisa’s hand a squeeze.

The speech therapist smiled. “I see,” she said thoughtfully as she typed on her computer to bring up a blank document so that she could take notes. Turning back to Zachary, the middle-aged speech therapist asked him how things were going at school as well as at the house.

Zachary sighed heavily. This was going to be a difficult conversation indeed, but he needed to be truthful in order to get the help that both he and Lisa needed. “Well, let me start at the beginning, shall I?”

Without realizing what she was doing, Lisa added, “A very… Good… Place… To… Start.”

Both Zachary and her speech therapist looked at the 19-year-old strangely before finally realizing that Lisa had unintentionally sang a quote from the movie sound of music and they laughed, making Lisa smile. “You goofy girl,” Zachary laughed. Then, turning back to the speech therapist, Zachary explained the entire story. How he first met Lisa, how she seemed utterly terrified of everyone and everything and as he explained, he encouraged Lisa to jump in whenever she felt she needed to.

Lisa even tried her best to explain, in her own way, how if it hadn’t been for Zachary, she probably wouldn’t even be here. Between the 2 young adults, the speech therapist correctly guessed that some of the other college students were harassing and bullying her for no reason other than her disability. She wanted to look at the scars on Lisa’s wrist, but she didn’t want to frighten her, so she asked gently, “Lisa, sweetie, may I see your wrist for a moment? I promise that I will not hurt you.”

Worried, Zachary asked, “What are you going to do now?”

The speech therapist was thoughtful for a moment as she examined the deep scars, but when she answered the young man’s question, her voice was filled with nothing but concern. Well, first, I am going to help you with filling out a report. If you hadn’t taken her out of that particular dorm when you did, things could have escalated to much worse. I don’t like what I am seeing here, but I know that you have been nothing but kind to her, so you are not to blame. It wasn’t just her parents; Lisa was and still is being abused by other classmates. Until we get this report filed, I recommend that you both switch to online classes. It is for your own safety as well as hers.”

“What about the classes we are already taking?”

“Don’t worry about them right now. I will speak to the admissions counselor on your behalf and I also recommend that you both see a professional counselor for a little while. I’d be happy to set up an appointment for you both and if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. And Lisa, I will see you next week, sweetie.”

Zachary turned and smiled at the speech therapist. “Thank you so much for believing us. It’s been a nightmare, and my old buddies found me 2 days ago. They scared Lisa half to death!”

The speech therapist gazed sympathetically at the young man and answered, “I can only imagine,” she said gently. “Remember, let me know if there are any questions about these other appointments.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zachary finally explains to Lisa about some of the very unkind acts in the world, but more importantly, it makes him realize just how much he loves her. Will she love him in return?

Chapter 11:

It was a very sad and heavy hearted silence on the 20 minute drive back to Zachary and Lisa’s modest house just outside of town. As much as it was a relief to speak to another adult about the teen’s abuse, both past and present, Zachary still felt helpless and didn’t know what to say to comfort his friend. However, the ride home maybe wasn’t as quiet as Zachary originally thought, because, when he glanced into the passenger seat, and heard a sniffle, it was obvious. Unknown until now, Lisa had been silently crying, both out of relief and deep sadness.

Because Lisa was so upset, her verbal skills were temporarily nonexistent, but the question in her eyes was plainly visible for Zachary to see. “Why does everyone hate me so much?” Lisa’s brown eyes were asking her friend. “I did nothing wrong,” they seemed to say. “I did nothing except be born and exist. Why is everyone punishing me for that?”

Zachary’s own eyes watered to see his friend in so much emotional distress, but still, there was no easy way to answer her silent question. But, sooner or later, the young man knew and understood that he needed to try and explain just how cruel some people were capable of being. He hated to do it, but he had no choice. Lisa’s childhood and innocence had been taken from her long ago, and Zachary was determined to give it back to her as much as he was able to. But she did deserve an explanation, or at least one that she would understand.

Zachary drove in silence for a few minutes more and it wasn’t long until the house came into view. Zachary wanted to explain, but he did not want anyone else to hear him. He didn’t want them to hear him because when it came to Lisa, Zachary was extremely protective and he wasn’t going to allow anyone from the University or other people to hurt her the way she had been hurt many times before. Not again. So, very carefully helping the 19-year-old to stand up from the front seat of the car, Zachary allowed the teenager to lightly lean on him as they walked into the house. Knowing that she was feeling fragile, Zachary also hugged her tight, the way she always liked it.

Helping Lisa to get settled onto the couch, Zachary sat next to her, hugging her tight once more. They stayed that way for a while; the young man and young woman, one still crying silently while the other did nothing but hug her. This was not going to be an easy conversation, and they both knew and understood that. But, after a few more minutes, Zachary knew he had to break the silence so he said gently, “Lisa, sweetheart, I want you to listen to me, because what I am about to explain to you is very important, even if it is horrible. I know that your life has not been easy, for many obvious and not so obvious reasons. However, there is another reason why, and it is important that you understand this.” Then, very gently, Zachary explained just what a hate crime was, giving the example of World War II and the Holocaust, even though her situation was not quite that bad. Seeming to realize this, Zachary said gently, “Although your own situation is different, the scars on your arms and who put them there, they did it because, well, they’re just plain evil. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

Without warning, the young man hugged his younger friend again, but this time, he was also silently crying; saddened by the thought that if he hadn’t rescued Lisa, she would have died and he wouldn’t have had a best friend quite like her. It was true. The more Zachary cared for Lisa, the more he realized that she was more important to him than parties or alcohol or anything remotely connected to his old life. Caring for and about Lisa was Zachary’s life now and he loved every minute of it. “Wait a minute,” Zachary thought to himself, “Am I really thinking what I’m thinking? Is Lisa more than just my best friend and roommate who needs me? Am I doing this because she needs me? Or am I doing it because I truly love her?”

Inside, Zachary was panic stricken. He wanted so much to help when she was in trouble, but she seemed scared of him at first. “No she didn’t; she trusted you from the moment she saw you!” His brain argued. “But I don’t want to hurt her either,” the other side of his brain argued back. “You won’t hurt her; you rescued her for heaven sake!” And with that realization, Zachary also realized with a jolt of excitement and responsibility, that both things were true and that he wouldn’t have had the courage or the heart to rescue Lisa the way he had if he hadn’t loved her. However, he did not want Lisa to be frightened by his new feelings toward her, but he wanted to show her just how much he loved her. And helping Lisa the way he was and had been for the past 5 months, was the least he could do to show her how much he cared. The only question remaining was, did Lisa love him in return? Did she not understand what love really meant? Oh well, right now, having his big and little girl in his arms was enough for Zachary right now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few phone calls are made and Zach's understandably upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a new chapter for everyone! Thank you to those who commented and followed. I would really love to hear what your thoughts are and ideas if you have them. No mean ones though please. Enjoy chapter 12.

Chapter 12:

The next couple of weeks were very busy ones. As she promised, Lisa’s speech therapist started making phone calls. The scars on the disabled teen’s wrist and the horrible words they spelled out was enough for the middle-aged woman to confirm what she had suspected for a while now.

Like Zachary, Melissa Smith, mother of 3 and speech language pathologist, knew without a doubt that what her patient was experiencing was much more than typical teasing and harassment. Some of the students at the University clearly hated her and always took it out on the poor thing. She wanted to say something sooner, but didn’t know if it was her place. However, since that sweet young man was kind enough to explain everything, helping to file a hate crime report was the least Melissa could do. Printing out all of her notes and making copies, the speech therapist was more than ready to do just that.

It was not easy though. In between her phone calls, Melissa had other patients in need of her services and although she did a good job, Melissa found that she was distracted by the pit of worry gnawing at her stomach. Was Lisa going to be okay? Would staying away from campus even be enough? Although she did not have to, the speech therapist, with a sudden, knowing smile, also looked up a few more resources for Lisa’s caretaker, Zachary. Like him, she also guessed that the 19-year-old became very young in her mind whenever things were difficult and she thought that these few extra resources might be of some help.

In the student services area at the University, Alexander Phillips’s telephone rang. Alexander Phillips was the admissions counselor who helped Lisa to get enrolled with her college classes, so he was pretty familiar with what she could and could not handle. For this reason, he was allowed to talk to her speech therapist on her behalf after he helped her to sign a release form at the beginning of the school year. Recognizing the phone number of the local hospital, Alex guessed that Lisa’s speech therapist was calling him now. She didn’t have any other phone numbers, so that was probably why.

After swallowing the last bite of his lunch, Alex picked up the phone. “Florida State University, this is Alex, how may I help you?” Alex knew he sounded stupid as he asked that question, but that’s what he had to say every single time.

On the other end of the line, Melissa Smith spoke to him. “Mr. Phillips, this is Melissa Smith calling in regards to one of your students, Lisa. As you know, I have been working with her extensively and there is something you should know. A couple of weeks ago, during one of her sessions with me, she and her caretaker told me some very disturbing things about what has been happening to her. Are you aware that she has scars on both wrists and said scars spell out very rude and offensive messages pertaining to those with disabilities?”

Whatever the admissions counselor was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. He knew that some students with disabilities found it very difficult to handle school and that some of the student population could be rather mean, but he hadn’t expected to hear anything quite like this. “May I know what these messages say? I need to know so that I can make notes.”

The speech therapist repeated word for word the obscene and highly degrading words and messages, and like the good counselor he was, Alex wrote everything down as well as typed it out and put it in a special folder for whenever the police needed to speak to him or anyone else about this particular hate crime.

“I am truly sorry for what has happened to Lisa,” Alex said. “If I had known that the other students were going to do this, I would have stopped them. Is there anyone I can speak to in order to get more information?”

“Well, first, you can start by reprimanding those students who have done her harm. Then I think you ought to speak to her caretaker and not only apologize, but help them get settled with online classes. I truly do not think that either of them are safe on campus right now because of what has happened. As you were not fully aware, you are not to blame, but now that you are, please do everything in your power to keep everyone else as safe as possible.”

The admissions counselor promised he would do so and it was then that he realized he had unintentionally neglected the most vulnerable person or persons on campus. As an admissions counselor and the disability specialist for the college, it was Alex’s responsibility to make sure that those who needed accommodations got them and with Lisa, he had failed miserably. He never meant to of course, but like everyone else, he naturally assumed that she didn’t need anything because she had been very quiet and shy. But then Alex realized that that was part of the reason she got bullied so often and he never realized it. True to his word, Alex picked up his phone and called the Dean of students as well as some other faculty to let them know what was going on. After that, he had a very awkward and uncomfortable phone call to make to Lisa’s caretaker.

Back at the house, Zachary was just finishing and proofreading his paper for English when their landline phone rang. At first, Zachary thought that it was his and Lisa’s next-door neighbor, Linda calling. She called every once in a while to check up on things, especially because she sometimes worried about the young adults, and with good reason. However, when Zachary looked more closely at the caller ID, he realized that it was Mr. Phillips, the admissions counselor and disability specialist from the University. “What is he calling me for?” Zachary thought to himself. “Don’t we have enough problems already?” But, he decided to answer the phone anyway because it seemed important.

“Hello?” Zachary’s voice was somewhat scratchy because he was nervous about what the counselor was going to say.

Alex, feeling nervous himself, figured he should just get it over with. “Hi, this is Alexander Phillips calling from the University. I’d like to speak with Zachary Babinski.”

“This is he,” Zachary answered. “May I ask what this phone call is about?”

“Yes; I am the admissions counselor who helped a young woman named Lisa get enrolled at the University. I am calling because I have been in contact with her speech therapist today and she told me about some things that I find highly disturbing. I know the reason why you took Lisa out of the dorms but for my own peace of mind, and so that I can help you more effectively, I would like to know why you, a college senior, felt you had to do what you did?”

On the outside, Zachary remained calm, but on the inside, he was fuming. “Is this dude serious?” Zachary thought angrily. “Was he really totally unaware of what was happening to her? Did he really not understand that Lisa could have died if it hadn’t been for him?” But out loud, Zachary answered as calmly as he could. “Mr. Phillips, as the therapist may have told you, I took Lisa out of the dorms for her own safety. Not only did I see scars; I saw fear beyond anything you could even imagine. My best friend might be a young woman to you, but in reality, she is very much a young child inside. I was virtually the only one who would help her or stick up for her because no one else would do so.”

The admissions counselor listened to the young man rightly rant and rave for a few minutes before asking another question. “Look, you have every right to be angry with me and I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to press charges against the school. However, I do realize how serious the situation is now and if you will let me, I would like to help you both with transferring to online classes. I have spoken to the Dean of students and some of the faculty to let them know that you would not be returning in person. If you like, I can email you the papers for online classes and all you have to do is sign them and send them back. I am truly sorry for everything that is happened. If I had known sooner, I would have stopped the behavior immediately.”

Zachary didn’t know what to say. Part of him wanted to stay angry with the counselor, but the other part of him, the compassionate part of him, knew he couldn’t. So, he grudgingly agreed to allow the counselor to assist them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach Bathes Lisa for the first time that we see and he's totally scared and embarrassed because he likes her. Kind of funny.

Chapter 13:

Later that evening, it was a somber pair of young adults who were eating their dinner in silence. Lisa was sad because she didn’t understand why people could be so cruel and Zachary? Well, he was just angry about everything that happened so far. And maybe, maybe he felt just a tiny bit guilty for the way he acted during his party years. He was young and stupid back then, he knew he was. And yet, even though he was not responsible for anything that happened to Lisa, Zachary sure felt that way.

Although he did his best to explain to his younger friend the realities of hate crimes, he knew it broke her heart and all he wanted right now was to see her smile. Zachary found it hard to see Lisa so sad, because something about her innocent face made him want to pick her up and hug her, just the way he used to with some of the little kids he babysat back in Nebraska. But because Lisa was 19 and a little too tall for that, Zachary had to satisfy himself with helping her to get the last of her mashed potatoes into her mouth, as her muscles were becoming a little too tight from her concentration.

After that, without warning, the young teenager suddenly collapsed onto his shoulder and was shaking. Zachary didn’t know if something had startled Lisa or if she just lost her balance, but either way, it was a bit of a shock for the young man. However, Zachary had very good reflexes, so, before Lisa’s head could hit his chin, Zachary immediately stood up; taking the teenager with him, helping her to stand. “Lisa, are you okay?” Zachary asked gently; his voice full of concern. “I’ve never seen you do that before.”

But when the young man got a better look at his friend’s eyes, he knew exactly what the problem was. Lisa was once again in a regressed state and could not answer him. So, once again, being very careful and gentle, the young man helped her upstairs. However, instead of just automatically changing her, Zachary thought it would be best to allow Lisa to unwind from the stressful day and because she was rather sweaty.

In all honesty, Zachary was not sure how he was going to do this, but some instinct told him that he had nothing to worry about. He figured he was being overly cautious, but this was much different than taking care of an actual baby. As babyish as Lisa tended to act, through no fault of her own, she was still, physically a 19-year-old woman, and Zachary did not want to violate her trust in any way. However, because of the nature of her physical disability, Lisa still needed help, no matter how old she was. Blushing scarlet, the young man made a few pit stops between his and Lisa’s bedrooms to grab everything he needed, all the while mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old was far away in her regression, so she had no idea what was going on in Zachary’s head. Lisa had slipped so far that she had pretty much went limp and was unable to move. For this reason, Zachary had to carry her, which made him blush harder. “This is dumb,” he mentally scolded himself. “Lisa is your best friend and you have taken care of her millions of times before. What is your problem?” But, somewhere, deep down, Zachary thought he knew what the problem was. It wasn’t just that she was a 19-year-old woman who still needed help; it wasn’t even that she regressed involuntarily either. The problem, if he could call it that, was that Zachary also liked Lisa as more than a friend, and was unsure how to handle it. He did not want to violate her trust and he certainly didn’t want to take advantage of her. But what concerned him the most was that he would accidentally push her away and hurt the poor girl.

Pushing his confusing thoughts to the back of his mind, Zachary did his best not to worry about that right now, especially since Lisa truly needed help and she rarely asked for it. “Get a grip dude,” Zachary scolded himself again. “This is Lisa we are talking about. She is not a very trusting person, and the fact that she trusted you the way she did, well, that should tell you something.” But the more Zachary mentally argued with himself, the more self-conscious he felt. And perhaps, Zachary was even a little afraid of just what both his and Lisa’s reactions were going to be. Finding that he could not delay any longer, Zachary gently lowered his best friend onto a disposable under pad spread out on the floor.

Zachary felt his face grow extremely warm as he prepared Lisa for her bath and briefly wondered if he should run and never look back at her, but one look at the teenager’s childishly innocent face was enough to bring tears to his eyes. What was he doing? Zachary couldn’t leave her all alone; Lisa needed him. If he left now, she would be heartbroken. But it was more than that. She could not physically care for herself, and without someone to do that for her, Lisa would most definitely not be able to survive. “Oh, kiddo,” Zachary thought to himself. “This is not going to be easy, but I will do my best.”

Purposely not looking directly at Lisa, for he thought it would help to stem the confusing thoughts and feelings, Zachary made quick work of helping his friend out of her soiled clothes and diaper before gently depositing her into the bathtub. Thankfully, the bubbles were thick enough to almost hide the teenager from view, but only her head and face remained visible. At first, Lisa startled as she was gently plopped into the water, but as the warmth of the water seeped into her muscles, she began to relax a bit.

Lisa was still very far into her regression and wasn’t fully aware of where she was for several minutes. She knew she was safe and that gentle hands were massaging her head, but that was until she smelled the fruity smell of her shampoo. It was then that Lisa finally realized that she was in the bathtub and Zach was kneeling at the edge, gently rubbing in the shampoo. Confused, Lisa looked up and to the right just to make sure that it wasn’t a dream she was having. When Lisa saw the medium brown hair, blue eyes, and thankfully, the Metallica nightshirt, Lisa relaxed even more. “Well, at least he is dressed,” she thought to herself. “But it is so weird.” Lisa also noticed that Zachary was a bit preoccupied so, since she wasn’t fully returned to her adult mind, she did the only thing she could think of.

Zachary was just getting ready to rinse Lisa’s hair when he heard a slight giggle, a tiny splash, and after that, Zachary was completely shocked to find that he was drenched in soapy bathwater and Lisa’s face turned bright red from her laughter. Hearing her laughter, Zachary quickly came out of his shock and his own face broke into a smile. And to his relief, Zachary found that he was no longer blushing. Sure, he still loved Lisa and he always would, but romance was out of the question for now. Zachary often suspected that even when regressed, Lisa was very smart and knew when to snap him out of whatever bad mood he was in or confusion. She always knew how to make him smile and bring him back to reality.

Zachary chuckled as he drained the tub and lifted her out of it; drying the teenager off and wrapping her in a towel. “Oh Lisa, you are such a silly girl. You know that? Thanks for the reality check; I needed that.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we see how Lisa really feels about school and friends and everything. An important conversation between the two roommates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just an important conversation between Zachary and Lisa. She really hates school and she wants her crib more and more often. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Chapter 14:

It was a few days after the counselor’s phone call. Lisa was big again, but Zachary knew that it was only a matter of time before her mental regression would hit her full force once again. Yes, because of her cerebral palsy, even when she was big, Lisa needed to be changed, and sometimes fed. But Zachary didn’t mind. He knew that it was just a part of her and there was nothing he or Lisa could do to change it.

It was still nice though, when Lisa was in her adult mind because it sometimes made it easier for both of the young adults to really get to know each other and their own boundaries for one another. The 2 of them often talked, or at least, Lisa tried to talk, about school and homework and many other things. Today though, today was a little different.

In a way, Zachary was glad that Lisa came back to herself when she did, because there was something important he needed to discuss with her and he wanted her to understand what he was about to tell her. What Zachary needed to tell Lisa was not easy because it involved her regression and how frequent it was. Zachary didn’t want to upset her; he didn’t want her to think that he was kicking her out, which he wasn’t. No, he was simply concerned about how frequent and severe her mental regression really was. He thought it would be important because he was noticing that Lisa was having a harder and harder time staying focused in her classes; like she was somehow turning into the inner child she had.

Zachary also noticed that even though Lisa had been in her adult mind for over a week now, she didn’t necessarily want to sleep in the bed that had only the sidebars. More and more often, Zachary found himself putting Lisa to bed in her crib, which was tucked safely away in a hidden corner of his own bedroom. Zachary didn’t really know where this was coming from, but he wanted to ask Lisa about it before she regressed in her mind again.

So, after finishing up with the breakfast dishes and helping his friend get her face cleaned up, Zachary sat down at the table next to her. He could see by the look on her face that Lisa was a little sad and upset. A lot of the stuff with the students bullying her and other people just not understanding her was taking its toll, and Zachary could see that. On some level, Zachary must’ve expected that, but what he hadn’t expected, was for Lisa to regress in her mind so frequently and for long periods of time. Which was why he wanted to talk to her. Zachary wanted to get Lisa to open up and tell him what was bothering her and why she did this so often.

Reaching over, Zachary gently cupped Lisa’s chin in his large hands. “Lisa,” he said gently, “I know that you’ve been having a hard time focusing on your college assignments and I know that you have wanted to sleep in your crib more and more even when you are in your adult mind. Is something bothering you, honey? Did someone or something hurt you? Is school too difficult for you?”

When Lisa nodded her head, tears fell fast and furious down her already sodden cheeks and the young woman clung to Zachary for dear life because she was shaking with silent sobs. After a while, Lisa calmed down enough to try and speak to him. “It’s… It’s… All… Of the… Above. I… Have… No friends… Except… For you. School… Is… Tedious… And hard. I am… Afraid that… I will… Regress… At… School… And… You won’t… Be there. I’m… Afraid… You will… Leave… Me. That you… Will… Not… Want… Anything… To… Do… With… Me.”

Zachary was shocked by Lisa’s sudden anguish and fear of abandonment, but he also expected it. He hadn’t known that Lisa felt this way and he certainly had no idea just how deep her abandonment issues went. But Zachary certainly understood how sad she felt and was feeling, maybe even a little lonely as well. Running a gentle hand through her dark hair, Zachary spoke gently. “Oh, Lisa… I want you to listen to me very carefully. Okay? Nothing is ever going to make me leave you. I may not be your parent or guardian, but I am your friend, and I will always take care of you. There is nothing in the world that would stop me from taking care of you and you haven’t done anything that would make me stop. You could have a horrible, contagious illness, and I still wouldn’t stop caring for you.”

“But… It’s your… Senior year… Won’t you… Leave?”

Zachary kept his gentle grip on Lisa’s chin as he answered her question. “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “Yes, it is my last year of college, but no, I will not leave you. This is why I wanted to talk to you. You are obviously not happy with school, and I can see that it is extremely stressful for you. I was thinking that we could talk to the admissions counselor about helping you withdraw from school so that you have more free time to unwind and relax. I will finish my year of school, and after that, I was thinking that you and I could go to Nebraska and get away from everything for a while. I’m a little homesick, and I know that you aren’t really happy here either. On the plus side, if all goes well, I could introduce you to my family. Would you like that?”

Lisa nodded her head enthusiastically as this time, she was crying, but with happiness. She felt immensely relieved at Zachary’s declaration that he would never leave her no matter what and she also felt better knowing that he knew and understood just how unhappy she was in school and the fact that the state of Florida was a place of horrors for her.

“I still don’t understand something, though,” Zachary told her gently. “Not that I mind, but you haven’t wanted to sleep in your regular bed for over a week now. Is there a reason for this?”

Instead of answering verbally, Lisa took a thick marker and began to write. When she was done, she held out the paper to her best friend so he could read it for himself. The penmanship was a little sloppy, but surprisingly, it was legible. Also, with the sharpie marker’s thickness, it was somewhat easy for Zachary to read. “Don’t always feel safe,” it read. “I have too many nightmares and I feel all alone. The crib makes me feel safe and secure. I don’t feel alone because I know that you are only a few feet away from me. The stuffed animals help, but they aren’t even enough to keep my nightmares at bay most nights. As for school, I absolutely hate it. It’s much too frustrating and I’m too much like a young child to enjoy it anyway. As for moving to Nebraska, I don’t know if I can move there, but I wouldn’t mind visiting. I would love to meet your family, but it would be very difficult to meet new therapists and be able to trust them.”

Zachary read everything Lisa had written and a sudden look of understanding dawned on his face. His friend had a point; a very good one. He hadn’t thought about the fact that if they moved, Lisa would find it difficult to trust anyone new; given her history and how traumatized she had been for many years and that she most likely still was dealing with trauma that she wasn’t ready to face just yet. He was happy, though, when Lisa mentioned that she definitely would not mind visiting his home state and that she was open to meeting his family.

Zachary smiled. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll make some of the arrangements right now, such as getting you some help to withdraw from school. Then, I am going to make that little corner of my bedroom into a small nursery for you. I agree with you. Your nightmares seem to be less prominent when you are in your crib and your old room can be turned into a guestroom. But right now, let’s go upstairs and get you changed. You’ve had a rash for a few days and I don’t want it to get worse.” With that, the young man helped his young friend to stand up and without warning, she tried and failed to walk, resulting in her crashing her head and Zachary picking her up effortlessly. “Gotcha,” Zachary mumbled as he picked her up. “Come on, let’s go.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zachary gets a phone call, and a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next chapter was inspired by Winchester1989 and for that I thank you. This chapter introduces a new character, Timathy Franklin, or just Timmy. He is Zachary's 10-year-old cousin and he is very sick. I very much enjoyed writing this chapter and I really hope you all enjoy reading it.

Chapter 15:

A few days later, that was exactly what Zachary did. He called the University about a few things he was missing on his paperwork for the online classes and after finding that everything was in order, he went ahead and sent them in. By this time on Monday afternoon, Zachary would be all set with finishing all of his classes without having to set foot on campus unless he chose to of course. He explained to the admissions counselor that he hadn’t helped Lisa to fill out her paperwork for the online classes because she herself requested not to return in any way, shape, or form.

“Lisa explained that she finds school very difficult and tedious,” Zachary explained when Mr. Phillips asked why Lisa would not be returning. “She finds a lot of things very physically demanding and she’s usually conked out by 9 o’clock because of it. It is nothing against you or the faculty; she just finds school very difficult and she truly does not enjoy it.”

On the other end of the line, Alex Phillips nodded thoughtfully as he listened to the young man. He hated to admit it, but Zachary was absolutely right. There were even a few times that Alex himself saw the dark circles under Lisa’s eyes, and not for the first time. “As much as I want to say that education is important for everyone, I can certainly understand Lisa’s decision not to return,” Mr. Phillips answered quietly. “I agree with you. She looked extremely drained almost every time I saw her and I know it is not her fault. I will send you the paperwork to get her withdrawn. I think a nice break is what Lisa really needs right now.”

“Yes, thank you so much,” Zachary replied. Hanging up the phone, Zachary walked into the kitchen to get a soda. When he saw that Lisa was sitting in her special trip trap chair doing some serious drawing and writing with her big sharpie markers, he knew at once that she was in her adult mind, because she was making a grocery list. Apparently, there was only one Apple in the fruit bowl and all they had left to eat for breakfast was pop tarts and Lisa didn’t really like them. But Lisa was so engrossed in her list making that she hadn’t noticed Zachary handing her the special rubberized cup. However, she took it gratefully, as she was rather thirsty and took a sip.

Sitting down across from her, Zachary smiled gratefully. “Thank you for making the grocery list,” he told her. “I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last few days now and I completely forgot to go to the store. What do we need?”

After carefully writing out another item, very slowly, as her cerebral palsy made it difficult for her to write legibly, Lisa slowly pushed the list over to her friend and showed him.

After reading it over, Zachary smiled. “Lisa, your legibility is much better! Melissa is going to be so proud of you!” It was indeed the speech therapist, Melissa Smith who encouraged Lisa to do small things like write out a grocery list, how she was feeling, what she did that day, etc. This was to help improve Lisa’s communication skills even if she wasn’t always able to verbalize them and in addition, it kept Lisa from regressing too much when feeling stressed. However, Melissa understood that an occasional regression was sometimes unavoidable, because as a Little, Lisa needed them in order to help cope with the trauma she suffered.

However, after living with Zachary for almost 10 months now, and receiving support from not only him, but her speech therapist as well as a professional counselor, Lisa was starting on the long road to recovery and was doing very well. This grocery list was just one example of how she had blossomed even though she needed a crib to keep away nightmares and diapers because of her cerebral palsy, Lisa didn’t seem to care about that anymore. She was slowly but surely coming to terms with it and that her parents had no control over what she did or did not do in her life anymore. As far as Lisa was concerned, her parents opinions were no longer valid because she had a friend who deeply cared for her.

Lisa must’ve zoned out, because Zachary gently tapped her on her nose to get her attention. When Lisa looked up, she was a little confused, but she relaxed instantly when Zachary asked her about some of the items on the list.

“This is a weird question, but why do you have bottles and formula listed? I know you don’t use them because you could choke. Also, you have diapers, but smaller size, and toy cars?”

Lisa smiled and answered as best she could. “Not… Not for… Me. For… Someone… Else.” And then she added, “not… Not crazy. Trust… Me.”

Zachary smiled, but it was playful. “Okay Lisa,” he said in a gentle, but joking tone. “What’s going on? Do you know something I don’t?”

Lisa smiled back, but it was a little more serious than his own. “I just… Have… This feeling,” she answered. “Can’t… Really… Explain it.”

“Can you try?” He asked gently. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but it just seems rather strange, you know?”

But instead of trying to verbalize it, because it was so difficult to explain, Lisa wrote it out instead.

“I had a dream last night,” the writing began. “In my dream, there was this little boy. He was about 10 years old, but he wasn’t moving or focusing on anything. It was like his brain shut down or something. He wasn’t speaking; only sniffling. Although he looked very upset, it was as if he wasn’t allowed to show how upset he was. He was very thin, sickly. Although he does not have cerebral palsy like I do, his need for physical contact and touch is much greater than my own. Although some of my regressions are involuntary, most of them aren’t. But that is not the case with him. Unlike me, he does not have a choice in the matter.”

Zachary looked shocked. He knew that a lot of what Lisa was telling him was true, but he never expected her to know so much about other people. It was one of those times that Zachary sometimes underestimated just how smart Lisa really was and he vowed never to underestimate that again, especially now that he was looking at a written explanation of what was on her mind.

Zachary wanted to ask Lisa more questions, but before he could do so, the phone rang, startling him out of his shock. As he went to answer it, Lisa gave him a knowing smile and continued with making the grocery list.

“Yes, this is Zachary Babinski,” he told someone on the other end of the line. “How can I help you?”

“Mr. Babinski,” someone like a nurse or receptionist said gravely, “I am afraid that what I am about to tell you is not good news. Are you familiar with a Timmy Franklin?”

Zachary’s mouth dropped open in shock! “He’s my cousin!” Zachary exclaimed. “I haven’t seen him in years! What happened? Is he okay?”

“I think you’d better come down to the hospital and see for yourself,” the nurse replied. “He has been like this for a while, sickly and not moving. The doctors in your home state didn’t know what to do with him, so they sent him down here.”

Zachary’s eyes widened even more as he listened to everything the nurse was telling him. It was exactly like Lisa had described in her dream, but hearing it over the phone was a different thing altogether. “Why isn’t Timmy with my aunt and uncle anymore?” Zachary asked, shocked. “Did they or somebody else hurt him?”

The nurse or receptionist or whoever she was answered calmly. “Unfortunately, your aunt and uncle, they were killed in a fire a few months ago and he stayed with your parents for a while. When he started regressing involuntarily, they hurt him. They don’t really tolerate people who are different for any reason. How you managed to be such a kind and caring young man is a miracle.”

Zachary was shaking with fright and anger. How could his own parents be so cruel and heartless? How could they hurt such a sweet, innocent little boy, his little cousin, whom he hadn’t seen in years and whom he loved with all his heart? Zachary was fuming inwardly, but he answered calmly. “I will be right there. Would it be okay if my friend came with me? She kind of can’t be alone and I think maybe she will be able to help him out.”

“By all means, bring whomever you’d like,” the receptionist or nurse answered. “I will warn you that he isn’t very responsive right now, so don’t expect him to do too much just now.”

“Thanks, I will be right there. Thank you so much for calling.” After hanging up, Zachary went over to the kitchen table to speak to Lisa. “Come on kiddo, take this list with you, because you and I are going to the hospital. The little boy you were describing? He is my little cousin, Timothy Franklin, and I haven’t seen him in years. Well, now I know why.” As the young man drove, he couldn’t help but think that he and Lisa had a lot more in common than he originally thought. He was also starting to realize why maybe some of his younger siblings were not as grateful as they could’ve been, but he couldn’t think about that right now. Right now, his little cousin needed him, and he was going to take him in, even if it meant fighting for legal guardianship.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of alcohol abuse.

Chapter 16:

Since the hospital was about 20 minutes away, it gave Zachary and Lisa enough time to catch up on a few things. Since Lisa was not able to drive due to her cerebral palsy, Zachary was pretty much the only driver in the household. But he was okay with that. Zachary never really minded driving, as it took his mind off of many of the stresses in his life. And even though his little cousin would or would not recognize him, Zachary was still very excited to see him again.

Zachary was lost in thought when Lisa’s slow, halting speech made him glance at her with a small smile on his lips. “Tell me… About… Your cousin.” Lisa requested. Zachary was only too happy to oblige.

Seeing and playing with his little cousin used to be one of his favorite things to do back home in Nebraska. Although 12 years older than Timmy, Zachary still found his little cousin to be very endearing, cute and lovable. “Oh, Lisa, Timmy was… Well… He’s hard to describe. The kid used to be so full of energy; full of life. I used to babysit him a lot for my aunt and uncle. He loved playing hide and seek, but he never went too far from the house whenever he was outside. Sometimes I went over to my aunt and uncles house just to escape the chaos of my own home,” Zachary explained. “My aunt and uncle’s house was also chaotic, but it had a friendlier atmosphere to it.”

The 19-year-old looked at Zachary; confused. But she didn’t have to wait long because Zachary explained further.

“Sorry I confused you, kiddo,” he said apologetically. “I meant that although my parents had a lot more children besides me, they weren’t exactly the nurturing type. As the oldest, my parents expected me to take care of everyone else while they sat around the house drinking. But at my aunt and uncle’s house, there was none of that. Sure, I helped out while I was over there, but I was never expected to do so. In fact, it was my aunt and uncle who sometimes made sure that all of us kids were fed when we were younger and when my mom and dad found out, my aunt and uncle were not allowed to come over to our house anymore. Timmy was about 5 when this happened, and I hadn’t seen him since.”

Lisa was shocked, and understandably so. Her young caretaker’s story made far too much sense, and it was eerily familiar, similar to her own. Although her parents did not drink, and his did, Lisa couldn’t help but to reach over and feebly squeeze Zachary’s hand. Knowing that her own caretaker had a similar story somehow made it easier for the teenager to connect and relate to him. In this moment, Lisa felt very close to Zachary in a way she never thought possible. These new feelings scared her just a little, but she also understood where they were coming from and didn’t worry about them too much. Instead, she looked at Zachary, the obvious question written on her face, and he answered it without hesitation.

“I am who I am today because of my aunt and uncle. Before my parents forbade them to come to our house 5 years ago, it was my aunt and uncle who helped to raise me and my younger brothers and sisters. I often worry about how my younger siblings are doing without me to protect them and I often feel guilty for leaving them behind, but I knew that if I didn’t get out of that house, my mind would snap from the stress and I needed to take care of myself.”

But Zachary was interrupted by Lisa’s halting laugh. “Taking care of… Yourself… You… Mean… Partying,” she teased.

Zachary smiled and chuckled. “Hush, you,” he teased back. “But, yes, I suppose you are right. But let me tell you, I regret every minute of partying. After growing up in a household where alcohol was always present, partying naturally felt like it was the right thing to do at the time. However, I have also realized just how destructive it really could be. Yes, you helped me to realize that, but deep down, after seeing a couple people passed out and nonresponsive at some of the college parties, I pictured my own family and how devastated my younger brothers and sisters were when that happened at home. That was the main reason I stopped. It hit far too close to home for me and I couldn’t handle it anymore.”

The longer the young adults drove and talked, the more Lisa understood about her best friend. She could appreciate how difficult his own life must’ve been, but she also understood that he never really stopped caring about his family. She felt, for the first time, that she and Zachary really knew each other for who they really were. Lisa felt sad for her friend, but at the same time, glad that he felt he could confide in her the way she often had with him. “I’m glad… You… Told me,” she said gently. “That… Must have… Been hard… For you to… Talk about. I think… I understand… You… A little… Better… Now. Not… That I… Didn’t… Before.”

Zachary smiled as he answered. “Well, maybe that’s why we met each other. You and I both have very similar life stories and I believe that it was no accident; us meeting each other. I also never thought that we would be under the same roof, but I am sure glad it happened. I certainly wish that you had not been teased or bullied, but in a strange way, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have gotten to know you as well as I do now, and I’m guessing that you feel the same.”

Lisa just nodded her head, but she had a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth and unknown to her, a drop of drool dribbled down her chin without her realizing it. As always, Zachary handed her his handkerchief so she could take care of it. Also, when Zachary looked at what she had written out on a separate sheet of paper from her list, he laughed, because she was absolutely right.

On the paper was written this message. “Whenever your little cousin Timmy will be strong enough to come and stay at our house, I won’t be the only baby anymore. You will have to wipe up twice as much drool and other fun things, not.” Lisa could be quite funny and sarcastic when she wanted to be, but that was all right with Zachary. It was her way of reducing tension and it certainly made him smile.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more of Zach's background and why Timmy is so sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a dream Timmy is having about living in Zach's old home, but it gives more details about the family. Warning! Descriptions of domestic violence, including swaring, physical abuse and name-calling.

Chapter 17:

As the young adults got closer and closer to the hospital, Timothy Franklin, or Timmy, was just waking up from a much needed nap and he was very confused as to where he was. This was understandable of course; especially as everything around him was unfamiliar. He tried to open his eyes, but whimpered in pain when he found he couldn’t.

Both of Timmy’s eyes were swollen shut and he had a number of ugly bruises all over his body. Although he was 10 years old, Timmy was not acting like it at the time being. He had a condition known as involuntary regression, which meant that if something traumatic happened, Timmy had no choice but to physically and mentally return to infancy. How long he stayed that way, was dependent on how traumatic the event was. And given that his mother and father were killed in a house fire not too long ago, or so it seemed, Timmy had to stay with his aunt and uncle and other cousins, but his aunt and uncle didn’t seem to like him that much.

When he regressed for the first time around them, his aunt and uncle were angry with him and punished him severely. His older cousins in the house tried their very best to protect him, but they didn’t know what they could do to help him without angering their parents. In that house, it was nothing but negative chaos. The adults yelled and screamed profanities at each other, the TV blared constantly, and the smell of sweat and alcohol was constantly an issue in the house.

“No! No! Don’t hit me!”

“The adult male grabbed the adult female by her upper arm as she pleaded with him to stop hurting her. “I will do as I damn well please!” He yelled; spraying her with spit. Both adults reeked of alcohol and were stumbling around the entire house, narrowly missing tripping over their children who were desperately trying to stay out of reach, but when the youngest member in the household suddenly fell on the floor; crying his eyes out and soaking wet and other things, the 2 adults glared at him angrily. They hadn’t wanted their nephew at all, but he had no place else to go for right now.

“Get up!” The adult female shrieked angrily. “I said get up!”

But Timmy, didn’t seem to understand or was unable to obey. But before his uncle could try kicking him, the way he always did when he was angry, a strong, but gentle pair of hands lifted the young boy up and out of reach.

Timmy freaked for a moment before he realized that one of his older cousins had a hold of him and was talking to him gently. “It’s all right Timmy, it’s all right. Jessica’s got you; I won’t let anybody hurt you.”

“I’m calling Zach,” one of the other cousins said fearfully; “I don’t care what Mom and Dad say. Timmy’s not safe here. For that matter, neither of us are.”

Jessica, acting as the oldest in Zach’s absence, said gently. “Andy, we can’t just call him and expect him to be nice to us after we treated him the way we did. First, we are going to report the behavior, then we are going to email him and apologize for how we treated him.”

However, what the siblings didn’t know, was that after they filed the report, with the help of some teachers at school, a social worker came to school to speak to them. She wanted them to know that the youngest member of their family had been removed from the home and was in a hospital because he was very sick. Jessica and the other siblings were very worried, but were glad to know that Timmy was safe. Also what they did not know was that for Timmy’s own safety, he had been transferred to a hospital out-of-state. This was to ensure that no harm would come to him while he recovered.

After the commotion happening inside his head, which must’ve been a dream, Timmy woke up and began to whimper. It had been a few months since he regressed and he showed no signs of coming out of it anytime soon. He wasn’t really aware of anything, but he was understandably frightened. Only when a gentle, large, callous hand stroking the side of his head made the small boy flinch a little. Timmy knew somehow who was next to him, but was unable to react in any way, shape, or form. All he could do was gurgle and make noises like a baby.

“Hey kiddo,” Zachary’s voice called softly. “Can you hear me? I know it’s been a long time, but it’s your all-time favorite cousin. It’s Zach! Oh, Timmy… I am, so, so sorry. I never wanted anything to happen to you and I promise that if I had come home sooner, I would have taken care of you, baby boy.”

The 10-year-old looked just as confused as ever, which broke the young man’s heart. It was not like his little cousin to be so broken; it was not right.

Although she did not know him, Lisa did her best to do as much physical contact with the smaller boy as she was physically able. But for the most part, she preferred that Zachary did most of it as she did not want to hurt Timmy in any way.

When one of the nurses walked in with a tray of bottles, Zachary was very anxious as he asked his question. “How long will it be before Timmy can come home with me? He just, seems so lost and scared. I think a familiar face would be a great help to him right now.”

After jotting down some notes on her clipboard, the nurse answered Zachary’s question. Give him a couple more days here and then we will let you take him home. We need to monitor him a little while longer than expected, because he was very ill when he first arrived here. Being transferred to a new hospital can sometimes do that to a person.” And then she smiled as she added her next thought. “Zachary, as I have gotten to know you from your friend’s various medical and counseling appointments, I know that you are a very caring and gentle person in spite of everything you went through your self. I know that you are very familiar with people with disabilities, but are you familiar with involuntary regression?”

Zachary shook his head and indicated that the nurse should explain a little bit more.

“Well, to put it simply, although it is not very simple at all, your cousin, well, from time to time, will temporarily lose control of his mind and body, especially when faced with something traumatic. He does not have any disabilities when he is his age mentally and physically, but when he regresses, he does not have a choice about it and needs to be cared for as an infant does, because that is the age of which his physical and mental state revert back to. When he gets used to a more stable environment, or is able to deal with the death of his parents, his involuntary regression will not be that extreme as it is now. I cannot say at what age his mind and body will return to, but for right now, his mind and body are that of a 4 to 6-month-old infant. He has been stuck in infancy for over a couple of months now, so when he comes out of it, he will need intense physical, occupational, and speech therapy as well as some psychiatric help.”

Zachary looked sad, but he answered calmly. “I will do what I can to help him. You are correct, I am no stranger to dealing with messes or anything. I just have one question for you. How come he was not given to me right away? My aunt and uncle had me listed as Timmy’s legal guardian if anything happened.”

The nurse smiled sadly at Zachary, but she answered, “I truly do not know. However, someone filed a report of child abuse and neglect, which was why your cousin is here now.” At those words, Zachary blanched and looked like he was about to throw up. “Mr. Babinski, are you okay?” The nurse asked, concerned.

Zachary was shaking and his knuckles were white. “I can’t believe my parents hurt him like that!” He thought frantically. “Jessica? Andy? Rosalind? Were they okay?” Zachary’s thoughts were broken by a feeble squeeze on his hand from Lisa. She did not speak to him, but she gave him a look that told him that she understood all too well how he felt.

“We are going to get through this,” her eyes told him. “Your cousin is going to live with us and we are going to try and take care of him. Maybe even some of your younger siblings if need be, but your cousin is the one who needs you right now.”

Zachary did not respond, but he smiled and resumed stroking his little cousin’s hair just to let him know that someone was there with him.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

It was almost dinnertime in the children’s ward of the hospital. Zachary wanted to help out with feeding his cousin, but he also knew he needed to get to the store to buy the necessary items Timmy needed for his time as a Little. So, after squeezing his little cousin’s hand, telling him that he would be back soon, Zachary asked the nurse what kind of formula he needed, as his cousin was 10 years old and not a baby. She showed him the chart belonging to his cousin and to Zachary’s delight, it listed everything, including the ingredients for making the formula.

“It also shows you how much to give him and when to give it to him,” the nurse explained. “Sometimes if you give him too much, he will throw it right back up. His stomach is very small right now and it is hard for him to keep things down.”

Zachary smiled. “Thank you so much!” He answered. “Please let him know that I love him very much and that he doesn’t ever have to worry about getting hurt ever again.”

The nurse smiled at the young man’s kindness and she watched with a small smile as Zachary helped Lisa to her feet. She watched the pair grow smaller and smaller as they walked down the hallway, well, sort of, until they were out of sight. “He is really a sweet young man, that one,” the nurse thought to herself as she gently rubbed some ointment on Timmy’s bruises to help them heal faster. “He loves you, kiddo,” she told him gently. “He wanted me to tell you that.

Timmy gurgled in response the way a real infant would, and the nurse couldn’t help but smile gently down at him

Meanwhile, Zachary and Lisa were once again in the car, driving toward the local grocery store and other stores like Target and Walmart. The pair was subdued; almost sad. Zachary wasn’t sure if he would ever forget the battered and bruised body that was his little cousin lying in that hospital bed; wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get the picture out of his mind. He hated seeing him that way, but Zachary knew that there was nothing he could do as of now. Only tender loving care and time was going to heal Timmy’s wounds; at least, the psychiatric ones.

Zachary was wondering what to say and how to explain what was going on in his head, but it was Lisa who asked the question by carefully writing it out on her trusty sheet of paper she always kept with her in times when she found it difficult to physically speak. “How long do you think your cousin Timmy will stay in a regressed state of mind?”

Zachary wasn’t surprised by the question. In fact, he expected it to come. “It’s really tough to say,” he answered as gently as he could. “It might be 6 months, maybe longer. It all depends on how severe his trauma is. Since he never regressed until that time at my parents’ house, he has never shown signs of having a headspace as little as it is now. Or ever, to tell you the truth. In all my years of babysitting him, I never realized or noticed anything unusual, but that may have been because he was still pretty much a toddler at that time, so it was hard to tell.”

As the friends talked, they only paused in their conversation when they looked at something that they thought Timmy would like or when they were examining items to see the size or dosage, depending on what it was. Other than that, they kept opening up more and more to each other, even laughing at something goofy that one of them did earlier that morning or in the week. Lisa’s next question, however, surprised the young man, but he answered nonetheless. “Oh, Lisa, to put it simply, if you hadn’t had cerebral palsy, I probably wouldn’t have even realized you were also a Little, because you try so hard to prove to people that you can handle yourself. The only thing that gave it away for you was when you became jumpy in class and almost cried. I knew that part of this was because you couldn’t always control your muscles or nerves, but there were times, in class, when I found that you were clinging onto me because you felt scared for no reason other than you just felt little. It was obvious to me what you really were and it was mainly for that reason I wanted to protect you.”

“So, you won’t kick me out?” She wrote frantically. “You don’t care that I am both a Little and have disabilities?”

Whether it was proper or not, Zachary didn’t care at the moment. When he saw the frightened and lost look in Lisa’s eyes, he came around the shopping cart and nearly knocked her over as he hugged her tightly. “Lisa,” he said, his voice muffled as he pressed his chin to the teenager’s head. “Heavens no. You are not going anywhere by yourself ever again. I hope this isn’t too forward, but I care about you too much to let you go through what you went through all over again. I take care of you guys because I want to, not because I have to. It doesn’t matter to me that you are a Little and disabled because that is just how you are and who you are. Never feel afraid or ashamed of being who you are because you are special.” Getting up off the floor, Zachary pointed at the diapers and wipes that they had been staring at for the past 15 minutes and asked with a smile, “Well, are we just going to stand here all night or are we going to buy these now?”

The shopping cart was already filled to the brim with toys, children’s books, enriched formula, bottles, normal food for the 2 roommates as well as Lisa’s own diapers and wipes that she had to use because of her disability. Lisa scanned the shelves to see what her friend was looking at and she frowned slightly and pointed at a package that was a little smaller and had a picture of racecars on the side. “That one,” she wrote. “I think he will really like these.”

Zachary’s eyes widened in surprise, but he smiled at his friend’s intuitiveness as he reached over her head briefly to look at the size. He was also frowning slightly in concentration. He knew his cousin was very thin right now, so he was a little worried about how these would fit him. Zachary didn’t want the diaper to be too loose, which could sometimes happen. If that happened, his little cousin would leak too much and be uncomfortable. With much thought though, Zachary decided to buy them anyway, for when Timmy gained a little more weight and for now, he selected a package of toddler sized diapers with dinosaurs and balloons.

After buying everything and dropping it at home, the young adults returned to the children’s ward of the hospital. After quickly signing in, Zachary and Lisa were allowed to see the child who was now awake and looking scared. Zachary also noticed that the kid looked hungry and he wasn’t doing anything except staring at the young adults, like he was expecting them to do something. But then Zachary finally understood. “It’s okay to ask for help, kiddo,” he said gently. “We can’t read your mind, you know.”

Then, with as much gentle strength as her cerebral palsy would allow, Lisa gently punched Zachary on the arm as if to say, “Zach, you dope, he can’t talk right now, or did you forget that little detail?”

Zachary looked sheepish as he smiled ruefully at his friend. For a few minutes it was silent, but just as suddenly, the little boy in the hospital bed began sniffling and snuffling the way he was earlier in the day. Originally, Zachary thought that his cousin had a cold or something, but now he realized with a jolt, that Timmy was crying and felt he wasn’t allowed to really cry. As cute as that sound was, Zachary knew he needed to help his cousin understand that it was okay to cry or show emotion, especially if he needed something. So, very gently, Zachary lifted his little cousin out of the bed and into his arms in order to talk to him.

“Oh… Oh… Timmy… Its okay… It’s all right. Zach’s here… I’m here. are you scared? It’s a pretty strange place; isn’t it? Yeah… Oh… Oh yeah… I know you’re scared kiddo, I know.”

The nurse walked in and smiled when she saw that Timmy was awake and in Zachary’s arms. “How are we doing in here?” She asked gently.

Zachary looked uncertain as he answered. “I think he’s hungry, but I’m not really sure how to feed him because he is so thin. I don’t want to make him worse,” Zachary confessed. “Taking care of a child is different than what I’ve been doing for the past few months, and even though he is not an actual infant, he acts a lot like one, and I’m not really sure what I’m doing.”

The nurse saw the panic in the young man’s eyes and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Babinski, it’s all right. You didn’t know any of this was going to happen to him. All right? None of this is your fault,” she told him gently. Then she smiled and added, “I can show you how to feed him, if you would like that. You are correct; feeding your cousin is going to be much different than feeding an actual infant, because he is much taller and it might be a little messier as well. But don’t let this discourage you. You are a smart young man, Zachary, and I know you can handle this.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach and Lisa are getting ready to bring his cousin home when they each realize that the love they have for one another is no longer secret. Be prepared for some tears, hugs and confessions.

Chapter 19:

It took a while, but between Zachary and the nurse, and Lisa observing, the 10-year-old boy finally took some reluctant sips of the special formula that would help him regain some strength. He was still very tired and sore, but that was to be expected. Getting sick took a lot out of the child, especially because he was in a new environment.

Timmy gurgled like a real infant, obviously confused and unable to say so. However, the arms of his cousin felt safe and warm, even if he was in a strange place. Timmy startled quite a bit, which was understandable, but made it very difficult for Zachary to feed him by himself at present.

“Oh Timmy,” Zachary thought to himself. “It’s okay buddy. You will be able to come home with me very soon. Yeah…”

The next few days were extremely hectic for Zachary and Lisa. For Zachary because he was getting everything ready for when he and Lisa picked up Timmy from the hospital, and Lisa, because she desperately wanted to help, but knew she was physically unable to do so. She was actually almost in tears with the realization of it all.

Which was why, when Zachary was changing her soaked diaper, he asked her what was wrong, because he didn’t usually see Lisa this upset, not even about other things she couldn’t control. He saw her lips quivering and understood that this was not going to be easy for her. “What’s the matter?” Zachary asked gently as he continued his task. “Are you jealous?”

Lisa’s eyes filled with tears when Zachary asked her that question. Jealousy was the farthest thing from her mind. But, how could she tell Zachary that? How could she properly explain how worried she was? How could she explain to him that she wasn’t only worried about Timmy, but Zachary’s health and well-being, especially when he was virtually the only person who would be caring for both of them? Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as the disabled 19-year-old attempted to speak and explain what was on her mind.

“No… Not… Not jealous… That’s… The… Farthest… Thought… From… My… Mind. Of course… It… Might… Be… More difficult… With… The 2… Of us… But… No… I… Am not… Jealous.”

Zachary gently turned Lisa on her side in order to finish cleaning her up. Being an adult, Lisa sometimes was much wetter than a child would be, but he didn’t mind. It just meant that Zachary had to make sure to put extra cream to prevent her from getting a rash, which was what he was doing now. “Then what’s wrong?” Zachary asked her as he gently rolled her back onto her back so that she was facing him, and after helping her down from the changing table, the young man hugged her. “Lisa, you can tell me anything,” he said gently. “You know that; right?”

With that declaration, the 19-year-old burst into tears, clinging to her best friend for dear life. It was difficult, but she managed to stammer out everything she was feeling. “I… I… Don’t know… If… I’ll… Be able to… Help… Timmy,” Lisa suddenly cried. “You know… That… Physically… I am… Not… Able to… Care for… Myself… So… How… Can I… Help… Him?” Then, Lisa nearly choked as she began to sob into Zachary’s T-shirt. That realization was one of the most painful of all for Lisa to admit. As a young woman, she often thought about how much she loved children, but was unable to care for them the way she wanted to.

Seeing the openly wounded face of his best friend nearly broke Zachary’s heart in half and he hugged her close. He might not be dating her, but Zachary did love her, and it didn’t matter if she could have kids or not. He knew and understood that this particular issue had been very difficult for Lisa and had probably been weighing on her mind for a long time. Zachary wanted to make it better, but he wasn’t sure if anything he said would ease her pain. So, all Zachary could do it that moment was to hug Lisa and let her know, without words, that no matter what, he was always there for her.

“Lisa, I can’t imagine what that must be like for you,” Zachary said gently. “However, I am glad you told me even if it was hard for you to do so. But I will tell you this. I will never expect you to do anything you are not capable of handling, and that includes helping out with my cousin. You are more than welcome, however, to help me out with things that you are able to do with him. Yes, it is going to be tough at first, but you don’t ever have to worry about whether or not I will be burnt out; okay? I am doing this willingly and because I love both of you.” Then Zachary mentally smacked himself over the head. “Did I really just say that?” He thought frantically.

But Zachary was brought back to earth when Lisa accidentally fisted his short hair with her clumsy fingers. However, the expression in her eyes told Zachary everything he needed to know. The expression was serious, but at the same time, understanding. Lisa heard what Zachary said, and was starting to think that maybe, she felt the same, but she wasn’t sure in which way she loved him. Did Lisa love Zachary because he always took care of her? Or was it something more? Would it even be possible for the 2 of them to date even if he was her caretaker? And now, soon to be somebody else’s? Was a boyfriend what Lisa really wanted right now? And Lisa surprised herself as she slowly reached up to plant a small kiss on Zachary’s cheek. “I… Love… You too,” she told him softly. “You… Are… The kindest… Most… Gentle… Person… I have… Ever… Met.”

Zachary was in a state of shock, but he was also smiling. He had no idea that the more he and Lisa shared with each other and opened up to one another, that they would both start to have much deeper feelings for the other sometimes without even realizing it. However, in Zachary’s opinion, this was not a bad thing. He felt, deep in his heart, that he and Lisa were meant to find and meet each other the way they did. Yes, Zachary was primarily her caretaker, but at the same time, in Her Own Way, Lisa sort of took care of him, even if she was unable to cook or clean. When she was in her adult mind, Lisa always made an effort to take an interest in Zachary’s day even if his day had been a horrible one. But when she was regressed, Zachary found utter joy in simply watching her play as best she could, even if it wasn’t always easy to see her that way. Yes, it was safe to say that the young adults definitely loved each other despite their silly quirks and habits as well as having a dark past in common.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

A few hours later, the young adults were on their way to the hospital to collect the 10-year-old. After 3 days of monitoring Timmy’s health and weight gain, the doctors who were working with him decided that he was healthy enough to be discharged, but he needed a guardian’s signature, as he was a minor. But that was no problem. When the phone rang at the Babinski household, Zachary knew at once what it meant.

Even though they lived in Florida, and the weather was usually very warm and humid, today was unusually chilly, so Zachary had to help Lisa with her jacket as well as throwing on a sweatshirt for himself. “I know you don’t really like this, but it’s unusually chilly today, so you need to wear your jacket,” Zachary told Lisa gently as he zipped it up for her.

But Lisa didn’t really care about that. She suddenly got a panicked look on her face as she realized that Timmy may not have a place to sleep because she did not see anything extra in her old room. “What… About… A place… For Tim… To sleep?” She asked suddenly.

Zachary realized how worried she sounded and was quick to reassure her. “Don’t worry about that, honey,” he answered. “You were sound asleep, so you did not hear the delivery truck the other day. There is another crib and changing table in your old room. As you don’t necessarily like sleeping alone in your old room anyway, I thought that your old room could be turned into a temporary nursery for Timmy until he comes out of his regression. Are you angry?”

Lisa smiled. “No… I’m… Okay… You are… Right… I have… Fewer… Nightmares… When I… Sleep in… Your room… In my… Crib. I don’t… Mind.” But then another thought came to her and she asked, “What about… My… Stuffed… Animals? Where… Are they?”

“I knew you would ask about them,” Zachary said gently. “Don’t worry; they are safe in the crib in my room.” In all of the commotion, Zachary had completely forgotten about all of Lisa’s stuffed animals until he went into her room to help the delivery person set up the new crib and changing table. It was then that he noticed that all of the stuffed animals, including her favorites, which were a tiger and a fox, were strewn across the floor. He knew that they were very important to Lisa, so Zachary excused himself while he picked them up and placed them beside her in her own crib. How Zachary managed to do that without waking her was a miracle in itself. Lisa could sleep like the dead when she was tired, and apparently she was very tired from the day before.

Lisa smiled gratefully at her best friend, or was it her boyfriend now, and gave a small laugh. Taking out her sheet of paper Lisa wrote, “I’m surprised you didn’t wake me up when you did that. I felt some very soft things land on me, but I didn’t even stir. I must’ve been zonked if I didn’t notice that.”

Zachary laughed gently. “You were zonked,” he agreed. “You had both speech and physical therapy the afternoon before that. When we were driving home from both of those appointments, I thought you were going to fall asleep in the car. Your eyes were half closed; that is when I realized just how tiring your therapies are for you. You might not realize it yourself, but you put in a lot of effort when you do your exercises, which is good, but I am always half worried that you will drop from the stress.”

Lisa smiled as she wrote. “Zachary, yes, my cerebral palsy is severe enough to make me physically tired when doing certain things, but I wouldn’t be in therapy at all if you hadn’t rescued me. Please, don’t worry. If I am that tired, it usually means I need to recharge. That is just how I am. I know you know that, but I just wanted to remind you. Yes, I do need help with many things, including needing to be fed or changed, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore. You have helped me to realize that it’s okay to need that help. However, you are the only male I will allow to change me, because I don’t trust anyone else not to hurt me.”

Zachary looked at his friend with compassion and understanding as he answered. “Oh… Lisa… I understand, and I don’t blame you. This might sound a little selfish, but I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it either. Unless it’s maybe, one of my brothers or sisters if they ever come to visit of course,” he added with a small smile.

Lisa smiled, but she did not answer. She knew exactly what her friend was talking about and she suddenly had a very thoughtful expression on her face as the 2 of them went into the hospital to pick up the 10-year-old.

Upon entering the ward, they found the 10-year-old in the arms of the nurse and she was reassuring him that everything was okay. After signing the discharge papers and getting a long list of instructions from the doctors and nurses, the party of 3 were free to leave. As his cousin was not strong enough to walk as of now, Zachary carried him while he helped Lisa on her other side. It was slow going, but the 3 of them eventually made it back to the car, where the young man helped his cousin get strapped into the backseat before helping Lisa and getting into the driver seat himself.

“Well kiddo, here we go,” Zachary said as nonchalantly as possible. “We are going back to my place. You will be safe there. Yeah…”

The entire time his older cousin was driving the car, the infantile 10-year-old sat in the backseat, babbling nonsense and making noises that the young adults did not understand. As of right now, Timmy Franklin virtually had no language because his headspace was so young at the moment. His head was propped up by a pillow, which Zachary had in the car for occasions like this. There were times, although rare, when Lisa would use that pillow to support her head and neck when she regressed as young as she did. Thankfully though, after living in a stable environment for almost 8 months, her regressions were more like a 2 to 3-year-old level, in her mind at least. And they were far and few between, especially with the help of the speech therapist she had. As for Timmy, he was going to need a lot more intense care and therapy for a very long time. Zachary wasn’t even sure if his little cousin would ever come out of his regression, judging by the state he was in physically. He also knew that it would take a lot of coaxing and gentle encouragement to even get him to eat something, much less interact with anyone.

And as Zachary continued to drive, Timmy continued to babble and spit until his face was covered with drool and hurt from all of the bruises. His fingers were sticky from sucking on them and he waved his hands uncontrollably. Timmy was so trapped in his mind that he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing or why he was doing it. All he knew was that he was hurt and his nice cousin was going to take care of him. But he could not talk or control anything about his body as of now. However, it was not long before the gentle motion of the car stopped and a pair of gentle hands were unbuckling him and lifting him out of the backseat. He heard a slight grunting and then felt a gentle swaying motion as the arms of his cousin carried him inside.

“Oh, Timmy,” Zachary said gently. “How I wish it was not like this. But, it’s okay now. Zach’s going to take care of you now. You don’t ever have to worry about being hurt ever again.” And then when he felt a drop of drool land on his shoulder, Zachary laughed gently. “Come on, drool bucket; let’s get you cleaned up.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's summer vacation and the three of them have some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter for part 1, but don't worry, I'm making a series of this. There is a lot that I haven't explained yet and one story isn't going to cut it. Thank you all for sticking with me.

Chapter 21:

The days, weeks, and months after Zachary’s cousin Timmy came to live with Zachary and Lisa permanently, seemed very long, yet went by fast. Before the young adults knew it, it was already the start of summer vacation, which meant that Zachary did not have any regular classes except for the ones he was taking for his masters program in speech language pathology.

After Lisa came to live with him at the beginning of the school year, Zachary decided to change his major from business and finance to speech language pathology, because after caring for someone who struggled with those issues, and because it interested him greatly, Zachary thought that doing something that actually interested him would help in the long run. Also, it gave him many opportunities to practice what he learned, not just in clinicals, but in real life as well.

It did not mean however, that his life was easy right now. Although gaining a little more weight each day, and looking healthier, poor Timmy was still trapped in his infantile mind and felt sick quite often. This was understandable of course, but it worried the young man greatly, and for good reason. It had been almost 5 months since Zachary and Lisa brought the little boy home from the Naples hospital, and he was not coming out of his regression anytime soon. Although Lisa did what she could, Zachary was stuck doing most of the caregiving. He didn’t mind of course, but it hurt him very much to see his little cousin, once so happy, be turned into someone so broken and almost lifeless.

Almost every day was the same. Get up, do a quick morning routine, change diapers on both Lisa and his cousin, feed his cousin a bottle, clean up puke if necessary, wash clothes, etc. As stressful as that sounded, Zachary didn’t mind at all. It was in his nature to care about and for others, so it didn’t bother him. It only bothered him that the little boy hadn’t come out of his regression yet and Zachary wasn’t sure if he ever would. He desperately missed the playful, happy child he loved so much. Even though Zachary knew and understood what happened to him, it still felt like a knife to his heart every time he saw Timmy lying there in his crib or on the floor, trapped in his mind and body.

That was why Zachary was sitting on the couch now, cuddling the little boy close. The TV was on, but Zachary didn’t care about it too much at the moment. He just wanted his cousin to know that he was loved and he was safe now. Also, within these 5 months, Timmy still hadn’t uttered a sound except for his infantile noises, which were cute and endearing.

Meanwhile, Lisa was sitting in the armchair next to the TV, but she wasn’t really watching it either. She was gazing out the window with a look of longing on her face. There was a park near their house that had a couple of adaptive swings she wanted to try out. It was a nice day, so she hoped that the 3 of them could go and get out of the house for a while. She also hoped that being in the fresh air might help the 10-year-old, so she put a tentative hand on her boyfriend’s knee to get his attention. Yes, after months of thinking about it, Zachary and Lisa decided that even though he took care of both of them, they wanted more out of their relationship. It was nothing that was going to change their lifestyle too much, but they held hands more and Lisa made an effort to go to the movies or the arcade and pretty much anywhere the 2 of them wanted to go.

Zachary and Lisa made it a point to have a date night at least once a week, even if Zachary still had to help her, it didn’t matter. Whenever the 2 of them went out for that date night, Zachary made sure that someone was available to babysit his cousin Timmy. The few babysitters he had originally were very judgmental and told Zachary that he was enabling his cousin to act this way. That of course made Zachary angry, and forced him to be more aggressive when finding a babysitter that would understand the little boy’s needs, as well as his girlfriend’s. Oh yes, there were people who even judged her for having a disability, but it didn’t really bother her anymore. Sometimes, Lisa felt that other people’s judgments bothered Zachary more than they bothered her. Which was probably true.

When Zachary felt the gentle pressure from his girlfriend’s hand on his knee, he looked at Lisa curiously. “Yes?” He asked softly. “The little boy in his arms was rather agitated and Zachary didn’t want to startle him further.

Lisa seemed to understand his look, because she removed her hand from his knee and wrote down her question. “Can we please go to the park by the house? I want to try out the accessible swings, and I think it will be good for Timmy to get some fresh air.”

Zachary’s gaze softened considerably as he turned off the TV. He had to agree with Lisa. The 3 of them had been cooped up in the house pretty much all day long because Zachary had his online class and papers to write. However, since he had only finished his papers and class not too long ago, he thought they and him deserved a break for a while. “I don’t see why not, kiddo,” Zachary answered gently. “But first, I need to send my papers to my professors and pack some extra diapers and clothes for both you and Timmy just in case.”

After carefully handing the very thin 10-year-old to his girlfriend, and making sure that she would not drop him, Zachary went to do just that. It didn’t take him very long at all, so after about 15 minutes or so, the 3 of them were on their way to the small park that was only about half a block from the house. Months ago, Zachary had ordered a slightly larger than normal sized stroller, which the 10-year-old was sitting in while Zachary pushed from behind and Lisa leaned on for support. This arrangement worked well, but it was rather slow going and a little tiring. But no matter what, they all deserved a break from the monotony of life even if it was only for a few minutes.

Before long, the young man was unbuckling his cousin from the stroller and Lisa was already situated in the specially designed swing with Zachary’s help of course. She hadn’t realized that she wasn’t gripping the chains until she saw the gentle hands of her boyfriend fisting the chains through her hands. But before he did so, he placed his cousin in her lap and wound his hands through the chains as well. It was a weird sensation, having the little boy with her, but Lisa didn’t mind. She wanted to help as much as she was able to. She figured that allowing him to go for a ride with her on this swing was the least she could do. After a while, she heard Zachary’s laughter as he got ready to push them up up and away from gravity.

“Okay guys,” Zachary said with a smile. “Are you ready? It’s going to be a bit of a wild ride. One, 2, 3!” After that, the feeling of being weightless took over Lisa’s entire neurological system, and her stomach nearly dropped to the ground, but there was a big smile plastered on her face as she soared higher and higher into the sky. She of course did not have the ability to pump her legs, so Zachary had to keep pushing the swing, but that was all right with her. Being on the swing allowed Lisa to escape from her own dark past and she hoped that it would one day, do the same for Timmy Franklin.


End file.
